Crash Bandicoot 3: A Rift in Time
by Bandi-cute
Summary: Crash is sure that his world-saving days are finally over. Unfortunatly for him, a new evil threatens to destroy the world. This time, Crash and Coco go back in time to retreive powerful relics to foil Cortex's sinister plans.
1. Prologue: A Sinister Evil Emerges

Crash Bandicoot 3:

A Rift in Time

**Prologue: A Sinister Evil Emerges**

It is a law of the universe that peace can only last for so long. As an evil is vanquished, another must eventually emerge, even if it takes eons of waiting in the darkness. An insidious entity looked to the sky behind bars of impenetrable magic, glowing eyes curdling with an inferno of hatred. Whirling in the cosmos above, a discarded scrap of metal was repelled by the atmosphere. The evil entity concentrated, and slowly and carefully reached out tendrils of his own magic, gouging a small hole in the invisible shield that protected the earth. After a moment of work, the metal fragment shred itself through the atmosphere, and soon began its flaming plummet to the earth. Now the entity waited, anticipation rising in wild excitement. With some gentle prodding, the fireball was heading right toward him trailed by a fiery tail of sparking light. The entity's eyes were aglow with malice as he prepared for impact. Only an instant later, and the flaming projectile had crashed into the temple prison, sending rocks and steaming shards of metal exploding in every direction. When the smoke cleared, a dark cloud of evil energy emerged. For a moment, he hovered there, glancing idly at the splendidly unsoiled planet about to meet its destruction.

--

Dr. Neo Cortex could not coherently derive what had happened, but he was diligently trying to sort out his memories from no more than a quarter hour previous. He had been floating through the infinity of space for a week since the explosion of his space station, but had no method of returning to earth. If he attempted to break through the atmosphere, the metal that coated his ship was not nearly strong enough to withstand the pressure, and it would explode instantly. He could have sent a distress signal, but after Brio's traitorous desertion and N. Gin's disappearance, Cortex had no allies left. There was nothing to be done but wait in space until he could come up with a plan. Yet every time he began to conceive a way to survive, his thoughts somehow drifted back to the bandicoot that had defeated him, the bandicoot that destroyed his research for the second time. Cortex squeezed his fist and slammed it against the console.

"Damn you Crash Bandicoot!" Cortex shrieked, spittle flicking from his mouth.

Cortex's face was demonic as he glared at the clear blue planet before him, and he swore that while he still had a breath left in his body, he would make the bandicoot pay. Just as soon as this vow was stored in his memory, his ship began to shake. In a mild annoyance Cortex checked the dials and lights on his ship, but curiously nothing appeared out of order. Cortex leaned back in his seat and studied the apparatus again. He could see the tiny red and orange lights begin to flicker, and then each of them winked out. Cortex straightened. Had he lost power? How could that be? He had scarcely crossed the half way point, and still had more then enough fuel to circle the planet thrice. Then why…?

Cortex was jolted out of his perplexities suddenly, just as his ship began to move. Unable to access his i_nfrared command, he relied on visual. Leaning forward and scanning out the view screen of ship, Cortex did not understand what was happening. A moment passed, and the ship took off at a speeding rate. Cortex was slammed back into his seat, and he flailed as reached around franticly for the restrains. He snapped the buckle into place, and looked up to see a colossal asteroid directly in his path. He was heading straight toward it! Cortex grasped the steering and pulled the wheel as hard to stern as it would go, but to no avail. His ship was still heading on precisely the same course. Cortex's eyes were wide with bafflement, and he did not expect a sudden blast of light to throw his mind and vision into complete disarray._

_This is the state he fought to escape from now. Now that he slowly began to recollect the past events, he shook off the effects of the light and focused on what must be done. He could smell the foul stench of escaping smoke, and he was absently aware that blood was dripping down one side of his face. He tore off his safety restraints and slammed his fist on the ejection. The top of his ship snapped open, and he stumbled out with the grace of an intoxicated blind man. His scientific mind noted that he landed on some strange rock surface as he dizzily shrunk to the ground. He fought the spinning in his head as he blinked back what felt like fatigue. So obviously he had been unconscious for a time, if these were his symptoms. Knowing this, Cortex forced his pulse to steady and closed his eyes to calm his racing mind. Soon, he opened them again, feeling remarkably better. Now that his vision was unimpaired, he glanced around his crash sight to gain his bearings. He was very surprised indeed to see that he was situated inside an asteroid. Cortex attempted to get to his feet, but his faulty knees refused to obey. Cortex gaped with disbelief as he absorbed a panoramic opening in the rock that displayed the planet beneath. It was impossible that his body could survive in such a place, with the sheer vacuum of space unshielded. Yet he was breathing normally, and he felt no effects of what should be a marrow crushing pressure at all. _

_"Greetings Dr. Cortex." _

_Cortex instantly stiffened as he heard the deep, grating voice. He slowly turned his head, and his jaw dropped slightly at the sight. A glowing mask with a sinister expression hovered before him, and his mouth slowly curled up into a most frightening sneer._

_"You have failed I see."_


	2. Chapter 1: From Out of the Dark

**Chapter One- From Out of the Dark**

The sea air is an intoxicating aroma. The gentle breezes gathered the scent to freshen the lush island with its raw freshness, silently assuring all inhabitants that they were situated on an island, with a lustrous ocean surrounding every side. Farther into the trees and underbrush of the jungle, a small hut stood against the hard weather the island itself endured, pleasantly shading its occupants from the shining rays of the sun. Coco, a young anthropoid bandicoot, clicked with a concentrating expression on the computer resting on her knees. She furrowed her brow, and her slight snout flared in impatience.

"Come on." She growled under her breath as she tapped a key.

Suddenly, a red object dangled in front of her face, and as quickly as it descended, snapped back up into the hand of its user. Coco snarled.

"Would you quit it?"

Crash Bandicoot was wearing a crooked grin as he continued to play with the yo-yo in his grip. He spun it around in what Coco grudgingly thought to be a pretty good move.

"Now why would I want to do that, when the result is so satisfying?"

Coco's ears folded against her head as she narrowed her eyes.

"I'm serious big brother, I'm not in the mood for your shenanigans right now."

Crash offered a look of mock regret. "Of course my dear sister, whatever you want."

Coco straightened her shoulders and prepared to type again, when the red toy again floated in front of her face. As it snapped up, Coco stuck her tongue in her cheek angrily. When the yo-yo came down again, Coco snatched it and hurled it across the clearing, ignoring Crash's surprised exclamation.

Yet just before the yo-yo hit the ground, it stopped suddenly, hovering a foot from the ground. Aku floated toward them from around the corner, his golden eyes slanted in disapproval. Crash smirked happily and scratched behind one ear.

"Hey. Little loud again, huh?"

Aku approached, using his telekinetic talent to toss the toy back to Crash, who caught it adoringly.

"Children, I must urge you to offer an attempt to get along. Your bickering seems to be getting worse as time goes by."

Coco offered a dismissive grunt.

"I'm sure we could get along, if that jerk wasn't such an annoying pain."

Crash shrugged, and began to yo-yo again. Aku sighed in exhaustion.

"Please try. Put in a little effort." He fixed Crash with a stare. "Both of you."

With a grin, Crash whirled the toy around into a sweeping arc before letting it snap back into his hand.

"I think what's happening here is a prime case of sibling rivalry." Crash turned toward his sister with sly eyes, and a wide smile. "She can't get over the obvious fact that her brother is a handsome devil, while she resembles a wild hog."

Aku shook his head as Coco leapt to her feet and the two bandicoot siblings tore over the clearing, Crash laughing the entire way.

--

Crash and Coco returned to the house, both of them dragging their feet and short of breath. Aku Aku was hovering by the door, and fixed them with a stern look.

"I hope you weren't hurt too badly Crash." Aku offered, exasperated.

Crash rubbed a lump on his head, and smiled faintly through a slight wince.

"Well all I can say is she's got a punch that would knock the bananas out of a gorilla."

Coco looked quite peevish with her hands tightly clenched to her sides. She was about to say something, but Crash's yo-yo swishing past her face caused her jaw to snap shut in a growl.

"I hate that thing…" She growled irritably between clenched teeth.

"You're jealous 'cause I've got some pretty awesome moves, I understand. It must be exhausting to be in company with such extravagance."

"Not as exhausting as being forced to endure your unyielding flapping lips."

Aku sagged in suspension, having just about enough of this nonsense. Not a day of peace had gone by since they had first met, and the thought of almost loosing Crash and vice versa had not seemed to affect their bickering bond. Aku opened his mouth to scold them once again, when he felt a sudden wave of dark energy pass over the land. It was as though everything had been doused with ice water, so cold that it was beginning to burn through the vegetation. Yet no external evidence preceded the frightening feeling. Crash must have sensed his uneasiness. He leaned over, the smile still present but the laughing warmth was replaced with discomfort.

"Hey, you alright Gramps?"

Coco wasn't as restrained as her brother, and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What's happened Aku? Why are you making that face?"

Aku was still attempting to sort everything out. The evil was gone. It seemed so strong it was almost tangible, reaching invisible black claws over every creature and flora that breathed life. Yet as suddenly as it appeared, it withdrew, leaving Aku dumbfounded in the thriving sunlight once more. Even though the feeling was gone, the threat was as clear as ever. Aku realized he had been staring, and noticed that both Crash and Coco were offering identical looks of concern. Aku inhaled deeply and shook off his suspicion for the time being.

"I…I just felt a slight lightheadedness, that is all. No need to worry."

Crash and Coco exchanged glances, and Aku knew instantly that they didn't believe his alibi. Fortunately, Crash could always be counted on to steer away from an awkward exchange. He left his doubt unsaid, and took a seat on a rock.

"Well don't faint or anything. It'd be hard to call a doctor considering the only witch doctor on the island is you."

Coco still had a very suspicious look on her face, and was quite blatantly letting him know without speaking a single word. As she settled back down to the ground, opening her lap top and stretching her fingers, Aku floated about as idly as he was able, so as not to cause any more worry. He needed to investigate this disturbance as quickly as possible, for he had sworn to protect this land and all this inhabitance. He had already failed once, when Cortex's infections and contaminations spread over the wildlife, and he wasn't willing to let anything else happen to the world he was charged to defend. Of course, since Cortex bathed the islands in his evil, Aku's senses had been thrown out of proportion, and even the most obvious darkness was slipping by him. Yet, disturbingly, the evil feeling was familiar. It did not ring of Cortex, but another evil presence, far in the past. Aku felt an icy panic tear through him as a terrible reflection found its way to him.

"I must go children, but I will not be long."

Crash waved in a casual gesture, pulling loose the knots that had twirled into his yo-yo string. Coco made no motion of farewell, but opened her mouth to speak. She hesitated, and seemed to change her statement at the last possible moment.

"Okay, see you later Aku."

--

Cortex collapsed to his knees, his eyes wide with horror and disbelief. The menacing mask that hovered before him was identical to the wandering spirit that plagued his dreams. During Cortex's restless nights, pondering on methods to dominate the world, he occasionally saw this phantom visage before him, offering subliminal messages and orders of execution. Cortex had forced his rational mind to ignore these visions, but it was by this creature's influence that he was able to create the Cortex Vortex. Whoever this menacing apparition was, he had an acute understanding of how to chain the freewill of living creatures. He was real, and Cortex bowed before him in knowledge that he may be destroyed for his failure.

"Great Uka Uka. I cannot apologize enough for my incompetence…"

"Indeed you cannot." The deep voice interrupted. "I believed the instructions I gave you were simple enough. I wanted the world enslaved, and I gave you the knowledge, the means, and the motivation to complete this task, and still you failed?"

The voice was rising in anger, and Cortex flinched.

"As punishment for your uselessness, I shall banish you from this world by way of death. Thank the island spirits I have decided to be merciful."

Cortex did not believe the sentence of death to be merciful, but he did not voice this. Instead, he clasped his hands together and stared up into the creature's horrible golden eyes. Cortex did not believe himself to be a groveling man, but he thought the best way to gain advantage and preserve his life was by doing exactly that.

"Before I meet my end, Great One, please allow me to tell you who foiled the plans you so carefully laid?"

Three seconds of silence passed, and Uka was pondering something. Cortex waited, unsure if the spirit would care or not. Finally, Uka spoke.

"Very well. Who is the creature who has humiliated your capability?"

Cortex felt the tinge of fear disintegrate, and a fresh wave of hatred submerged him. Cortex clenched his fists.

"An infernal bandicoot. It was a failed experiment, and he has been causing me trouble ever since."

Uka thundered a laugh. "Causing trouble, has he? Is that what you call detonating your island laboratory and blasting your space station into unrecognizable pieces? From my standpoint, _Doctor_, Crash Bandicoot has done far more than simply cause a trifling trouble."

Cortex must have been gaping, because Uka's laugh grew louder and then he continued.

"Yes, Cortex, I know about the bandicoot that destroyed the knowledge I gave to you. In fact, he is the protégé of my greatest enemy."

Uka seemed to be pondering something for a moment, but he was quick to come to a decision.

"I have considered the options of this new situation, and although you shall not be spared from your inevitable execution, I will give you a task to redeem yourself."

Cortex exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding, grateful at least that his life would be secure, for now. Cortex bowed his head.

"Thank you Great One. I am at your disposal."

--

Aku soured over the ocean at a rapid pace, leaving N. Sanity Island far behind him. He was surrounded by nothing but ocean, but in the distance, a small dot appeared on the horizon. Aku sped toward it, fear escalating as he did so. Aku reached out with his magic, attempting to sense any malice from the island, but it was difficult. There were shadows of deceit and plots of revenge, but the feelings were weak. Aku could guess what that entailed, but he refused to. He needed to see it with his own eyes. Finally, the landmass started to grow larger, until finally Aku reached the beach of the lonely island. He stopped suddenly, swaying slightly in the sea breeze, but otherwise making no movement. Scraps of smoldering metal and charred temple ruins were laying scattered about the ground. There was still smoke drifting up from the explosion, and the prison that once held the most evil creature nature could devise was destroyed. Aku bowed his head. Uku Uka had escaped. It was doubtless that the first misdeed Uka planned to commit would be against Aku Aku, and everything he cared about. With a regretful rise of anxiety, Aku raced back to the bandicoot siblings.


	3. Chapter 2: A Timely Arrangement

**Chapter Two- A Timely Arrangement**

Coco's eyes scanned her computer screen, and she considered how she was going to progress from this point. Although she had been able to connect to the Web, she was still having trouble managing her ramshackle computer. As she concentrated, she felt a tiny scratching on her cheek. She narrowed her eyes without turning.

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

Crash lay on his back, absently poking Coco in the face with a branch.

"Not really."

Coco took the branch in her fist, and quite nimbly snapped it in half. Crash sounded dejected.

"You're not very nice."

Just as Crash reached for another stick, Aku Aku came shooting from out of the trees. Coco offered a side-glance.

"Hey, did you find what you were looking for?"

Aku appeared quite distraught, and so Coco closed her laptop and her face pinched in confusion. Crash noticed it too.

"What's up?"

Aku Aku glided toward the house as if in a trance, and Crash and Coco exchanged puzzled looks. Finally, Aku spoke.

"Crash, Coco, there is something we need to discuss. Come in the house for a moment. I will explain."

Coco looked at Crash and scratched behind one ear.

"What's going on?"

Crash's eyes were still focused on the door, and he offered an easy shrug as he followed the old mask inside.

--

Crash took a seat pleasantly on the floor, stretching a small knot in his back. He hoped Aku wouldn't take too long to explain what got him so stirred up, since Crash felt about due for another nap. He instantly felt guilty about this, since Aku looked tremendously distressed, but was not guilty enough to wipe the impatient look off his face.

"A great evil has escaped." Aku began carefully. "Many eons ago, a creature of immeasurable malice was trapped within a temple prison to keep the world safe from his treachery. I have only just discovered that he has somehow escaped this imprisonment, and is now at large somewhere in this realm."

Crash let out a long breath. "Oh, does that mean…the vacation's over?"

Crash flinched as Coco swatted him in the arm.

"How can you be so selfish? If there's an evil loose out in the world, of course we have to stop it. Don't be stupid."

Crash rubbed his arm. "Hey, I've already rescued the world from certain doom. Twice, actually."

"How was rescuing your girlfriend saving the world?"

"I blew up Cortex's lab! (…with little recognition, I might add…)"

"And technically neither of those times counted, because you never wanted to save the world in the first place."

"Well, that doesn't make a difference. The world got saved didn't it?"

Crash suddenly felt his body lift from the ground, and with a surprised face he noticed Coco was suspended in mid air as well. The two of them closed their mouths and turned toward Aku. His gaze held more anger than Crash had ever seen them hold before, and he felt a shiver dance up his spine.

"If you are quite through with this unhelpful banter, I suggest we formulate a plan."

Crash bit back a retort, and nodded obediently. Aku set the two of them down again, and this time, they both sat there silently.

"Uka Uka is an evil spirit, and now that he is free, he will be creating a plot to destroy all life on this planet."

Crash didn't feel comfortable when he wasn't yapping, so he rectified it. "Why do you think this evil guy wants to destroy life as we know it right when he gets out? Isn't that a little…melodramatic?"

"Uka Uka has been locked away for ages, and the first thing he will want is revenge on his captor."

"Who is…?" Coco inquired.

Aku narrowed his gaze slightly at the question, and then shook off the expression.

"That identity is not important for the moment. I simply wanted to warn you as of now, since I still have to deduct what Uka Uka is planning to do. Once I have that knowledge, we must act. Prepare yourselves."

With that final exclamation, Aku had exited the house, leaving Crash and Coco to stare blankly after him. After a period of silence, Crash released a massive yawn.

"Prepare ourselves, huh? Well, I guess that gives me time for one last nap before the action starts."

--

Cortex busied himself with the preparations. Uka had heard of his recent botched attempt to gain a powerful energy source, and had not been too pleased about it. Cortex felt the embarrassment of defeat fill him like a revolting substance, and let it pass. The crystal shards had dealt their energy, and they needed time on the surface now to recharge their power. That gradual procedure would take centuries, maybe longer, and so those sources were of no use to Cortex. Fortunately, Uka had a plan. Cortex was unsure of what this plan was as of now, but when he heard the rustle of movement behind him he was confident he was about to find out. Uka appeared into the asteroid shelter with a residue of hissing mist, and this time he was not alone. Materializing in a similar manner was another life form, bipedal, and as he became clearer Cortex could deduct that it was a man. Uka glided toward Cortex, an unreadable but nonetheless angry look in his eyes.

"Cortex, I introduce to you, Dr. Nefarious Tropy, a master of time travel and studier of past dimensions."

Dr. Tropy inclined his head, his beady eyes shifting toward Cortex as he did so.

"A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Cortex. I have heard of your trivial experimentations from the surface, and I must say, I applaud your use of such limited recourses. You haven't by chance evolved any more rats lately, have you? I would hate for this mission to be a failure."

Cortex gritted his teeth hard. "Unfortunately, there is a half-evolved rodent still at large on the planet's surface. However I am confident it will not get into our way."

"You will let me decide that Cortex." Uka growled.

"Still at large?" Tropy mused, delighted. "I hadn't for a moment thought you had failed to destroy this experiment, after all the research it decimated."

Cortex stepped forward with a murderous gleam in his eyes, ready to spark a confrontation. Uka let out a deep rumble, and Cortex stopped in his tracks.

"If we are to harness a power to enslave this world, I cannot have the two of you bickering. You are free to hate one another, but if I see it interfering with your work their will be consequences."

Cortex felt a cold chill at the last phrase in Uka's statement, and sat back on his heels in submission.

"If I may ask, Great Uka Uka, why does this plan require the involvement of a time specialist?"

Uka grinned, evil and crooked. "An expected question from someone of your ineptitude Cortex. Because the power source we need is buried safely in the past."

--

True to his words, Crash had fallen asleep a final time before Aku returned, and Coco was left on her own. She tapped her chin with her finger. Now why would Aku be so concerned about this? This evil guy must be far worse than the scientist Crash had defeated, or else he wouldn't be so high strung. Whatever the reason, Coco had never seen him like this, and resolved to do what she could to rectify the apparent problem. First things first, she needed to get her useless brother up.

"Crash!" Coco snapped as she shoved Crash with her foot.

Crash rolled over with snore and scratched his head clumsily, but otherwise not making any transition into consciousness. Coco sighed in exasperation. How this good-for-nothing laze-about bandicoot ever managed to save the world she would never know.

"Crash, a monkey snatched your yo-yo."

With impossible speed, Crash was on his feet with a look to kill on his face. He leapt past Coco, but she remained unresponsive even as her blond hair sailed at his passing.

"Where'd the little bastard go?" Crash snarled, shoulders raised in defense and a brutish snarl on his face.

Coco flipped her hair over one shoulder, and then tossed the yo-yo toward her brother. "Now that you're awake, I think we need to discuss what's going on here."

Crash watched the yo-yo roll toward him, and waited until it stopped before reaching for it. "What for?"

Coco snapped her laptop shut and whirled on Crash. "Aku said there's an evil entity that threatens to destroy the world."

"That's a little overdramatic." Crash interrupted quietly as he began to yo-yo.

"And," Coco continued with an impatient tone. "Though you may not like to admit it, dear brother, but if the world is taken over, that will affect you as well."

Crash yawned. "Why don't you guys take my advice, and worry about that when we come to it."

Coco slammed her back against the trunk of a tree, and let her eyes flutter shut. "You're exasperating."

Just as Coco began to take a few calming breaths, Aku seemed to appear out of nowhere, eyes alight with apprehensive vexation. Coco propped herself up.

"Any news on the alleged threat?" She asked.

"Why don't you talk normally?" Crash asked as he flopped down beside her.

Coco stiffened, but didn't lash out at her brother just then. Aku looked horribly concerned.

"I regret to inform that my suspicions were correct. Uka Uka is indeed creating a plan to destroy the freewill of this world. He will strike swiftly and soundly, therefore we must act with all haste. Crash, would you be willing to offer your assistance?"

Coco saw Crash wrinkle his nose beside her. "I guess. I suppose if we get this over with quickly, I'll be in a better position to get back to my regular routine."

"Sleeping and eating, how productive." Coco groaned, and then turned to Aku before Crash could formulate a reply. "And why are you asking Crash? Aren't you forgetting someone?"

Aku gazed at her with regret, and then shook his feathered head back and forth slowly. "This mission is far too dangerous for you Coco."

Coco was up in an instant, feeling the rage boil within her like magma. Her eyes felt hot as she glared, and Aku leaned back in surprise, obviously frightened by her expression.

"Listen, I don't care what anyone says about it, but I'm offering my help too. I'm small, sure, but Crash isn't exactly a powerhouse himself. He's an idiot, I'm not. He could scare the stripes off a zebra with his ugly face-"

"Easy!"

"Regardless, I am the most qualified person to assist. If I get in trouble, I'll get out of it myself."

Coco exhaled slowly, temper spent. Aku was still studying her with astonished eyes, but Crash looked less then alarmed at her outburst.

"Might as well let her come along old fella, she'll be a consistently irritating poke if you leave her behind."

Coco kept her gaze locked on Aku, feeling completely insulted. Wasn't she the one who broke through Cortex's defenses to save her brother? She was also the one who had contacted Brio and made a deal to destroy the space station and rescue Crash in one stroke. Yes, she was young, but she was not useless, and didn't approve to be perceived as such. Aku relented.

"Of course Coco, I apologize. I would never question your bravery and effectiveness, I just don't want anything to happen to you."

Coco felt her shoulders sag as the weight of Aku's words fell on her. He spoke with such a fatherly regret, that she lowered her head, instantly ashamed of her overreaction. Crash, of course, could always be counted on.

"Well thanks, that sure makes me feel special."

Since Crash's tone was light, Aku ignored his statement.

"Crash, Coco, Uka has already joined forces with Dr. Cortex. He apparently survived the explosion, and now is back for revenge."

Crash groaned. "What's with all this revenge business? To me it seems like a brutal waste of time and energy."

Coco thought hard about this. "How could Cortex have survived that blast?"

Crash smiled slyly. "You'll learn quick Sis that mad scientists are harder to squash than cockroaches."

"Uka has discovered an ancient mode of profound energy, and he is at this moment utilizing his resources to collect it."

Coco wrinkled her nose. "More powerful then crystals? Then why wouldn't Cortex use these in the first place."

"He couldn't. He did not have the method."

"The method…?"

Aku looked at both the bandicoot children gravely. "They are located in the past, through the rift of time."

Coco gasped and Crash grinned. "Back in time eh? Now I've never done that before."

"This is no joke Crash. If Uka Uka and Dr. Cortex get their hands on these power sources, there will be no stopping them."

Coco recovered from her disbelief quickly. "So how are we expected to travel back in time? That should be impossible."

"Like Uka Uka, I too have the power to cross dimensions. It will be difficult transporting the two of you, but I am confident in my ability."

Coco glanced at Crash, and noted that he appeared a little nervous at this prospect. She was as well. Time travel was a fun concept in fiction, but Coco's logical mind told her there was no possibility of it taking place in reality. Yet Aku seemed very certain.

"We need to get too the ancient temple before we attempt a crossing. The lingering magic there will assist us in this quest."

--

As Crash glanced around the ruined temple, he realized that he had never been in this part of the jungle before. Well, that didn't really mean much. Even though N. Sanity Island was not half the size of its sister across the sea, Crash couldn't find the time to explore in his leisurely schedule. Despite the obvious observation that it was midday, the sun's rays seemed reluctant to shine here. Crash scratched just under his chin as he considered why. Coco had picked up Aku's most hasty pace, and whipped around to glare at him.

"Would you hurry up?"

All Crash wanted to do at this point was collapse in a heap and take a nap. The trek to the temple had already been far too exerting. Crash yawned.

"Yeah, yeah. Get off my case."

The temple looked as though it had been empty of any civilization for a few centuries. Stone pillars half-heartedly reached around its parameter, guarding what looked to be nothing. Vines and tangled vegetation grew around and over the fallen statues and columns, and snaked up partial stone walls. It was quite majestic, to say the least. Aku was headed for a decorated dais that was positioned conveniently inside a chamber that appeared to be completely emerged within the jungle foliage. Some leafy drapes covered the opening, but Aku sailed through the door without hesitation. Coco stopped for just a moment before following, and Crash followed suit, irritatingly brushing the leaves out of his path. Now inside the ancient chamber, the dimness was substantial for a door to the sun being so close. As Crash's eyes adjusted, however, he noticed that the chamber was providing its own light, and seemed to be banishing the natural rays of the outside world. Crash whistled low.

"Uka Uka and Cortex are after three powerful talismans, relics to the ancient tribes that were said to bring unlimited power. They embody the three statutes of existence. Passion, Chaos and Serenity, embodied by the ancient metals of gold, sapphire and platinum, respectively. They are concealed within this world, yet in different sections of time. We must travel to these different dimensions of time and recover the relics before Cortex."

After Aku's statement, Crash squinted to make out some odd crevices on the wall. As his eyes continued to adjust to the darkness, he could just distinguish three odd looking symbols. They appeared to be crosses, and yet there was a circular swirl that adorned their tips. Crash wrinkled his forehead.

"That's it then? We just have to time travel back and pick up these creepy things?" Crash shrugged. "That doesn't seem too hard."

Crash could feel Coco's glare bore into him. "Only you could make this impossible time traveling venture sound simple."

Crash turned toward his sister and grinned. "I have a positive outlook is all. You should follow my good example."

Coco sighed heavily and took a breath to offer a retort, but Aku had stuck his limit with their bantering.

"If you both are ready to travel across space and time, I want you to step up on this dais. The choice is a grave one, for it shall be dangerous. However, this choice to save the world is yours this time Crash, choose carefully."

Crash was silent for a moment, as if considering. Coco tapped him lightly with her elbow, and he took a large breath. His exhale was an exasperated sigh, but he swung up onto the stone platform a moment later.

"I don't get why you bother asking my opinion." Crash narrowed his eyes at the mask. "What good's taking pleasant naps if there's no world to sleep in?"

Coco scrambled onto the platform after Crash. "The reason you're helping is to make sure you've got nothing to interrupt your endless sleeping? Now that's admirable."

"No sarcasm please, we are at a pinnacle point right now." Crash advised his sister with a concealed grin.

Aku Aku nodded solemnly, and turned his back on the bandicoot siblings. He started muttering a strange dialect that Crash couldn't understand. He spoke faster and faster, but the volume of his voice remained consistently low. Lights started to dance within the cannels of the stonework, sending shimmering gold, silver and bright white beams curling around the pair. Crash felt an odd mix of weightlessness and sluggish immobility, feeling his shoulders slump with the weight of this mysterious power. The lights danced around Crash and Coco, and the former clenched his jaw as the light began to obscure his vision. The cave was disappearing. With a shiver raking unmercifully up his spine, Crash opened his hand at his side. An instant later Coco reached for his arm, and Crash clasped his hand with hers.

_I hate portals._ Crash thought glumly.

Now the shafts of light were whirling around them so fast that Crash began blinking to cope with the dizzy sensation. Crash could hear a soft whisper in his head as the light blinded him completely.

_Good luck Crash…good luck Coco_

Crash closed his eyes and felt Coco's grip tighten as the two of them were thrust into the chaotic streams of the past.


	4. Chapter 3: Lost Continent

**Chapter Three- Lost Continent**

Crash lost all coherent consciousness, and cringed as his mind flailed about unmercifully. One hand snapped to his head in a futile attempt to slow the racing, and his other hand was still latched with his sister's. A quiet sound, or an echo from far away, began to tick in Crash's ears. It was slow at first, and then it became faster and more urgent. Crash bit his lip. He felt as though he was trapped in the ocean, pounded constantly by bone-crushing waves. He heard a small yelp, and without thinking he pulled Coco toward him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and he felt her nose against his chest as she turned away from the whirling light. Crash grimaced.

_Alright already, how long is this freaking spectacle gonna last? I'm gonna loose my lunch._

Crash's internal question was answered a moment later. The ground rushed up to meet them far too quickly, so quick in fact that Crash tumbled with built momentum, dragging Coco after him. For a few seconds the two of them lay in a crumpled heap, both willing their worlds to stop spinning. Finally Coco struggled from beneath Crash.

"You're crushing me." She moaned.

Crash rolled off his sister, and remained flat on his back, staring into the sky. He had a killer headache, and his body felt as though he had just circled N. Sanity Isle twice. He let out a long groan as he rubbed his forehead.

"That was a rough entry." Crash spoke after a moment of rubbing.

Coco had forced herself upright, and sat with her hands braced on her knees. "I've never felt anything like that before. What happened?"

Crash kept his gaze up, not in the mood to move. "Well, if that little whirling show did what it was supposed to, we should be in a different place in the timeline. I hope we went back to yesterday, when I was napping peacefully without all this Cortex junk ruining my sleep."

"Time travel is impossible. I told Aku that. We probably just…" Coco trailed into silence.

Crash lifted his head to see what had his sister so perplexed, and he dropped his jaw as he realized what she was looking at. A giant ship was bobbing slightly in the cradle of steady ocean waves, and by the flowing black flag that flapped from the mast Crash expected they were not friendly fishermen. Crash felt Coco grasp his arm in frightened disbelief. Crash snickered.

"Time travel is impossible eh? Well, those look like pirates to me." Crash offered his sister a friendly nudge. "Your problem is your logic always gets in the way. Just go with the flow Sis."

Coco's gaze was glued to the ship, which seemed to have changed direction. "I don't know what you're so happy about Crash, I think they've seen us."

Crash scoffed. "Yeah, what if they did? What are they going to do from way over-"

Crash was interrupted by the shattering of rock that exploded in close proximity to the bandicoot siblings. Crash was tossed to his back from the force of the explosion, almost falling off the piece of slate he noticed just now they were sitting on. Coco grasped him by fur at his chest and steadied him.

"Ow." Crash whined, smoothing out his soiled fur. "Be careful would'ja?"

Coco shot him a glare. "Would you get moving? Unless of course you want a cannonball roughing up that stupid face of yours."

Crash frowned, and scrambled to his feet with Coco close behind him. Crash and Coco rushed over the slippery rocks, both careful not to slip. There was a cave not to far ahead, and although ocean water leaked its way inside it, the water was undisturbed by the waves. Crash had been afraid for a moment that Coco would slip, since the path of rocks was narrow. He needn't have worried however. Just as this thought crossed his mind, he felt his foot miss its next step completely. Crash made a silly exclamation just as Coco hooked her fingers around the belt loops of his jeans.

"Would you stop falling?" She admonished angrily, taking the lead.

Crash shook his head in exasperation. What was the world coming to when little sisters had to protect their elder brothers? Crash wasn't in the mood to think about it. He followed Coco into the cave, feeling an unwelcome chill dance off the tips of his fur. His foot splashed into a puddle and he groaned.

"Well this is just fantastic."

Coco looked over her shoulder at the opening of the cave. "They're not shooting at us, so that's a plus at least."

Crash shook out his shoe as he continued forward. "Yeah, but that doesn't necessarily mean they forgot about us. We should get that thing Aku wanted and hightail it out of here."

Coco stepped into stride with her brother. "But even if we do find it, how is Aku going to know? We might be here for a while."

As the two of them walked father into the dank cave, still somehow illuminated by streams of sunlight, Crash patted Coco on the head.

"Worry about that when we come to it. That's my motto."

Coco swatted Crash's hand away. "I thought your motto was: eat, sleep and be lazy."

"Merry." Crash corrected happily. "That's another good one."

"All that nonsense aside, we better find that relic Aku was talking about quick." Coco faltered for a moment. "Crash, do you think the pirates are after the relic too?"

Crash turned around instinctively, but as expected the new view didn't bring him any enlightenment. He shrugged.

"If they are, they're gonna be pretty disappointed."

Coco opened her mouth in preparation for a response, but the clarification dawned on her and she snapped her jaw closed. The two of them were silent for a few moments, collecting their thoughts as they strode through the cave. As Crash walked, he noticed that although water remained inside the cave, it was now flowing from ahead instead of from behind. Crash scratched his chin. Where exactly were they going? Crash and Coco rounded a bend in the cavern, and both bandicoots stopped instantly when they viewed what lay before them. The cavern opened up to the sun and sky, bordering a cornucopia of ancient structures gathered in its centre. Pillars and fragments of statues lay scattered across the wet ground that almost looked like shiny marble. At first glance, the entire place appeared to be nothing more than a pale sandstone cove, not worth the attention of any passerby. Yet the detail and craftsmanship of the ancient ruins was astounding, and Crash could hear Coco gasp quietly beside him.

"Crash…do you know what this is?"

Crash pretended to consider, and plunged his hands in his pockets. "Some ancient rubble?"

"I know it's hard for you not to be an ignorant dope, but please try." Coco grasped Crash by the arm and pulled him among the rocks and wreckage. "From the architecture and artistic influence all over this place, I think this is the gate that leads to the ruins of Atlantis."

Crash wrinkled his nose as he swerved to avoid a statue of a very disturbing face. "Isn't that the place that disappeared under the sea or something?"

Coco nodded. "The relic must be somewhere within these ruins. But if it's as powerful as Aku says, I doubt it'll be sitting out here at the gateway."

Crash grimaced. "Does that mean we have to go, you know, inside?"

"Don't be a baby about it Crash. You bragged to me how you save the world the last time. This is no different."

Crash sobbed. "I didn't particularly like doing all those crazy, lethal things, and if my opinion mattered at all I wouldn't be doing it."

Coco was slowing down, and stopped abruptly to lay her hand on one of the pillars. She was in obvious awe at the entire place. Soon, she placed her attention back to her inept brother.

"Cortex wants these relics too. We'd better watch out for him."

Crash laughed as they continued through the debris. "You mean we need to watch out for his cronies. That stupid creep wouldn't have the guts to fight me man to man…or bandicoot more like."

As the pair wandered through the capsized ruins, Crash noticed with fascination that the floor was indeed made of smooth marble. A little cracked and dirty maybe, but the last thing he expected in a rocky cove like this. There was a consistent layer of water that lapped gently on the fallen statues, and Crash tried not to splash as he stepped. Even though his feet were already nice and wet, his pants were relatively dry and he hoped to keep them that way. Though that appeared to be quite unlikely. Finally, Crash and Coco made it to what looked like the entrance. Crash stopped suddenly, but Coco continued toward the stone doorway, hand outstretched. Crash had just noticed that most of the stone had looked like it had been recently drenched. Something didn't seem right about this, especially when the area was protected from the ocean by a stronghold of rock.

"Uh…" Crash had a bad feeling creep through him, and heeded his instinct.

With a quick movement, Crash grasped Coco's arm, stopping her from touching the stone. Coco whirled on him, eyes angry.

"Hey!"

"I don't think this is the right way."

"Do you see another door around here?"

Crash glanced around, but although his gut told him to leave this entrance alone, he couldn't see any alternative. Crash released Coco's hand, and ignored her glare. There must be another way in. Crash turned, and noticed with a small grin that there was a pleasant little arrangement not far from where they stood. A majestic fountain was centered in what looked like a stone courtyard, but Crash had a funny suspicion. He strode over to the fountain, and Coco reluctantly followed.

"Crash, we're wasting time."

"Patience is a virtue Coco." Crash advised as he leaned toward the fountain.

"Is it patience or laziness?" Coco muttered from behind.

Crash decided not to reply to that, since it seemed as though such a conversation would lead them nowhere. Coco still appeared quite suspicious as she leaned on the fountain's wall. Since the basin was dry, Crash vaulted over the wall and focused on the elaborate centerpiece. Vaguely, Crash could just make out the chiseled indentations of an old man's face, and he wrinkled his brow.

"You'd think that an ancient sculptor could find a prettier inspiration than some old guy."

Coco groaned, and tapped her fingers on the stonework. "What are you doing? We are wasting a lot of time here you know."

Crash studied the lines in the fountain. "I'd expect a scientific chick like you would be suspicious at why there is water flowing from this cove, when the ocean doesn't connect to it. Also, that the stones are not just ancient, but are really smooth too. That seems silly, considering the wind can't blow very hard though all this rock. So I think to myself, say, why don't we play it safe and look for another way in?"

Coco seemed to be computing this, and when she spoke her tone was of disbelief. "Seriously, you thought about that all on your own? That's more thinking then I've ever seen you do in one place.

"It's a random condition, but it usually gives me quite a nice head's up. Hah, here we go."

Crash had found a hollow grove in the stone, and gently pushed it forward. It teetered, off balance, and disappeared into the blackness an instant later. Crash stuck his head in the shaft, and felt a shiver dance up his spine. He looked at Coco hesitantly.

"Well, ladies first."

With a grimacing groan, Coco swung her legs over the opening and fixed him with a glare.

"You're a scardy-cat."

Crash grinned. "Scaredy-bandicoot."

Coco looked as though she had lost the strength to sigh, but Crash could imagine her exasperation. An instant later, Coco dropped into the hole, and a reluctant second passed before her brother followed. He never liked falling though the air, at any time. It was a very uncomfortable sensation, especially when one didn't have an idea when they'd-

_Thump._

Crash felt crumpled as he lay in a mangled heap. _Damn, that hurt_.

"Are you alright Twinkletoes?" Coco had a knack for making concern sound sarcastic. "You realize we only dropped about ten feet."

"Yeah, well ten feet can give you a wallop of stars if you land right on your head."

Crash's vision began to settle, and he noticed with satisfaction that the passage was not completely dark, just mostly dark. Crash accepted Coco's outstretched hand, and with impressive strength she hauled him to his feet. His little sister frightened him sometimes. When he was able to stand without tipping over, Crash shook off his dizziness and prepared himself for what lay down the passage. Truth be told, although it was dim inside, the hallway itself was excessively beautiful. The sculptures and sleek stone floor did not look nearly as weather-beaten as the foyer outside, yet there was a pretty obvious explanation for that. Though despite the fact that this place was protected by the wind, Crash expected the place to look a little more aged than it did. He shrugged, and started at an easy pace down the hall with Coco scurrying to get into stride beside him. They hadn't walked more than a few feet when Coco sniffed the air.

"Something smells…like fish."

"If there's an ocean surrounding us, I don't think a fishy smell is something to be concerned about. When you hear crashing water, then you can give me a shout."

"Well, if there's a mildew smell in here, that might mean that this place joins right up to the ocean. It was just an observation you idiot, stop questioning me."

Crash didn't bother speaking again. It was obvious that Coco was in a sour mood. He couldn't really blame her. He was used to all this whirling through unknown realms and gathering up ancient power sources, but this was her first time out in the field. He grinned.

_She wanted to come along._

The two bandicoots rounded a corner, and Crash felt his jaw drop out of sheer amazement at what lay before them. The passage they had just been walking threw gave way to an impressive open lagoon. The highest point of the roof was too far up for Crash to see. All around this lagoon were stone statues and massive tablets with strange elegant symbols inscribed on their surface. Crash could feel the warm humidity muck up his fur, but he shook off the clamminess quickly enough. Crash noticed that there was something shining like a fallen star under the surface of the water. The bandicoot siblings stepped forward simultaneously, and Coco leaned over to get a better look.

"Is that it?"

Crash scratched the back of his head. "Well, this is the first really shiny thing we've come across so far, so I think it would be a good bet that it is."

Before Coco could speak again, the structure surrounding them vibrated slightly and there was a loud rumbling noise that was over just as fast as it began. In response to the far off explosion, some tiny shards of rock and dust rained down from the ceiling. Coco turned wide eyes behind them.

"What was that?"

Crash had a pretty good idea.

"I think the pirates know about the booby trap out front. Maybe they're trying to blast their way through."

Crash didn't know whether pirates were particularly bright or not, but hurling cannonballs into an ancient temple didn't seem like the most efficient way to loot it. There'd be a ton of rubble to dig through after they were through with the place, and Crash for one didn't want to be trapped under it.

"You can swim, right?" Crash asked.

Coco gave him a questioning expression. "Uh, yeah."

Crash grinned. "Good. Just dive down there and grab that shiny thing. Okay?"

As the last word was spoken, Crash turned on his heel and strode away.

"Crash! Where are you going?" Coco's voice was flabbergasted, but there were also traces of anger in there.

Crash turned around with a grin.

"I'm going to go get rid of those pirates. It's much easier then what I'd have to do if I stayed."

"Easier than fighting pirates?"

"I can't swim."


	5. Chapter 4: Submerged Sapphire

Chapter Four- Submerged Sapphire

Coco huffed as she watched her brother dash away. Of course she always felt a small tinge of worry for his safety, as any sister would, but primarily she was frustrated. She could see the glimmer beneath the water, yet she hadn't the faintest idea how she was going to get down there. It looked far too deep for her to swim, and ancient obstructions barred the most direct route. Well, she supposed that she had to try before she could fail. She yanked out the elastic in her hair with a finger, and held it in her teeth as she brushed the tresses with her fingers. It seemed that during her run through the cave, her hair had begun to come loose. She didn't want anything to steal her concentration away from her task. When she had pulled her hair back tight, she reapplied her ponytail. Coco took a deep breath, and let it out slowly to calm herself. Then she flipped the straps of her overalls off her shoulders, and unbuckled the restraints on the sides. She shrugged out of the jeans until she was standing in nothing but her loose white T-shirt and underwear. A cool draft danced around her bare legs and she shivered. She hoped at least the water was a decent temperature.

She tossed her overalls aside, and stepped into the crystal water. She let out a tight squeal. The water was freezing! The short orange hair on her arms and legs stood on end as she waded through the shallow part of the lagoon. A few steps more and she would reach the end of the statue. From there, it was a sheer drop to the bottom. She stood at the drop off point, contemplating how much air she would need as she curled her toes around the edge absently. Eventually she realized she was stalling, and with a deep breath, she dove into the water.

--

Crash smashed a hollow rock with his shoulder, but it still refused to budge. Unfortunately, Crash had not really considered how he and his sister would get out of there, since they couldn't very well get out the same way they got in. So Crash spent a little while feeling around for hollow areas and listening for breezes. Now that he had found a spot, he had been trying very hard to break through. So far, he succeeded in only bruising his shoulder. He glared at the stone with a venomous expression, and then heaved into it again.

"Move…damn you."

He grunted as he thrust the stubborn stone as hard as possible, eyes shut tight. Suddenly, Crash heard the faintest sound of slate cracking, and an instant later he was flying through the air. The tumble over the side of the cliff and into a rocky alcove was not pleasant, but it only took Crash a few moments to stand up and dust the dirt off his pants. He had just righted himself when another loud explosion rattled the ground beneath him. These guys weren't fooling around. Quickly as he was able Crash scrambled up the slanted cliff, discarding fistfuls of tiny rocks as he did so. When he made it to the top, he sat motionless for a minute, thinking. The pirates were still on their ship, and were sending cannonball after cannonball to the wall of the temple. Crash shook his head slowly. How lazy of them. However, in such a circumstance, Crash's judgment was fairly hypocritical. Though Crash suspected that he could out-lazy these pirates in a moment, he didn't really find their method likely to benefit them at all. All they were likely to accomplish was completely decimate the Atlantian temple, and that was something Crash could not allow. Not while his sister was done there anyway.

Crash slid down the cliff, and dashed toward the jungle beyond. He had a plan in mind, and he needed only a nice big tree to make it work.

--

Coco pulled her hands through the water and kicked her feet consistently. Yet to her disappointment, the relic was not getting any closer. She thought she should head back to the surface to play it safe, but then all this water she covered would completely go to waste. As she propelled through the water, a small shaft in one of the capsized statues caught her attention. It wasn't likely to have produced any air supply, but she still had enough air in her lungs to give it a shot. She followed the shaft, swimming directly upward as she guided herself by following the stone with her hands. It was getting darker, but the shaft was thankfully getting wider. She was nearly out of breath, and she could feel her heart quicken as she wondered what she'd do if there happened to be nothing here. She thanked the stars when she broke through a surface and felt a sweet supply of air caress her. Coco gulped the air greedily as she treaded water on the spot, considering what she was going to do next. Truthfully, she'd rather stay in the oxygen for a while longer, but she thought that luxury would be denied her for the time being. The temple was shaking again, and she felt incredibly nervous as the shallow roof above her began to vibrate.

"Crash, you idiot. What are you doing out there?" Coco snarled through clenched teeth. "I'm doing my job."

The only answer to her complaints was another shaking vibration. She exhaled in irritation. Her brother had better not have stopped to take a nap, or she'd beat him to a pulp.

--

Crash was sleepy, and he considered taking a nap. Yet the thought of his tiny but ferocious sister beating him to a pulp kept his eyes open. He had a lot of practice climbing trees to gather his wamba fruit when he couldn't shake them down, although this exercise was not frequent. Crash would rather find fruit laying on the ground than climb up to get them, but nonetheless, the tree that he ascended now was done in record time. Crash carefully crawled across the long limb, and he was getting closer and closer to his target. Finally, he thought he was close enough to begin the performance, and sat back with his pile of ammunition. He hefted one round projectile, and then hurled it as hard as he could at the ship. The coconut bounced gracefully off a sail, and splashed into the ocean. Crash continued the attack, savoring the sound of the hard shells plunking against the planks. The pirates were flabbergasted. Crash smiled.

"That's right fellas. When coconuts start falling from the sky, it's time to start freaking out."

And indeed the pirates were getting anxious. Crash couldn't decipher their words, but they were yelling at one another angrily. They had all run to the rails to glimpse what was causing the ruckus. Crash wasn't particularly honored at having the miscreants' attention, but at least they stopped attacking the temple. Now, Crash did hear a voice.

"Who's out there? Show yourself or we'll blow you to smithereens!"

Crash scoffed. If he did show himself, it was unlikely they'd just give him a stern reprimand and politely request that he stop whacking their ship with coconuts. Crash didn't buy it.

"You have the count of three!" The man, who appeared to be the captain, bellowed. "One…two…th-"

He didn't finish. With the captain lined up in his sights, the urge was too tempting to pass up. The captain must have been right shocked when the coconut bounced off his forehead. Crash congratulated himself on an impeccable aim.

"Come and get me suckers!" Crash yelled boldly, a pleasant smile curling his lips.

The captain was yelling at his crew, and Crash nodded with satisfaction as a dinghy of pirates started toward him. He scurried over the branch, and dropped lightly to the jungle floor. Just as his shoes touched the ground, Crash was off again.

After a moment of patient waiting as the pirates rowed up to shore, Crash readied his plan. He had discovered some very convenient pits scattered around the shoreline, and after he covered them with old leaves and sticks, he was satisfied they'd be good pirate traps. Some old vines made sturdy rope, and therefore Crash was able to construct some of those snapping traps as well. He tested one already, and found that he could get out of it okay which probably meant the pirates could too. Slower of course, since they probably weren't blessed with such an athletic physique as Crash was. However, Crash didn't really care about this. The traps weren't meant to hold the pirates for long. Crash just needed a diversion. The pirates were on their way now, so Crash darted through his traps to stand triumphantly on the other side. He gave a loud whooping whistle, and the group of renegades instantly turned toward the sound. Crash offered a wave and a smirk.

"Look'n for me?"

It didn't take too long for the pirates to charge, and Crash waited good-naturedly as they passed through the first round of traps. A few of them disappeared from sight, swallowed by the earth, but their comrades continued to advance. Crash decided to high tail it when he became in range of their pistols, and chuckled to himself as he heard snapping noises and loud curses echo from behind him. He climbed up the cliff he had just descended moments ago, and watched triumphantly at his handiwork. Just as Crash was about to climb into the alcove and head back to the temple at a leisurely pace, he felt the ground quake again. His amused expression faded to instant nervousness. The ship was continuing to fire. Crash glanced with wide eyes at how much damage the temple was enduring, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. There was no way he'd have time to stop the firer now. He needed to get back into that temple now, and get his sister out of there.

--

After a substantial inhale to gather the most air she could, Coco submerged into the water and paddled herself downward. When she was in the open space of water again, she kicked ferociously. She went straight down, ignoring the popping in her ears as she descended past sea level. She swam as fast and as hard as she could, finding with excitement that she was getting closer and closer to the prize. Suddenly, she felt an explosion, and the water's reaction to it. She whirled around for a moment, caught in a vortex of tiny bubbles, but she righted herself immediately, and continued on. She kicked harder and harder, until she could make out the relic's shape. Only half of it was visible, poking up out of the sand, and as she got closer it began to glow brighter. Coco reached out for it, fingertips outstretched. As she wrapped her hand around the relic's shaft, she could feel an odd tingling in her hand.

She was beginning to desire oxygen, so she yanked the relic from the sand and pushed off the ground, her destination was now the surface. She was progressing at a fast pace, and she calculated that she would have just enough breath to make it. Then another explosion disturbed the water. Now pieces of the large underwater structures surrounding her were beginning to break off. Her eyes widened as she saw a chunk of rock descend toward her. She was able to maneuver out of the way, but just as that slab of rock disappeared beneath her, another appeared. She dodged that one too, but not as gracefully, and she felt the rock scrape into her leg. Coco ignored the blood that emerged like red smoke from the wound, and used the falling rock as a ground to push off of. She kicked her feet franticly, feeling the air leave her lungs. More rocks were falling, and each time she needed to get out of the way. Her lungs were screaming now, and her consciousness was beginning to wane.

Soon enough, she became too slow to dodge the next falling rock. It struck her hard across the face, but thankfully it was only a medium chunk. Unfortunately Coco was unable to escape the blackness any longer. Her eyes began to close slowly as she drifted farther from her destination. She was only two feet from the surface, and yet she could not summon her feet to move. She continued to hold the relic, but her grip loosened as she fell more and more into unconsciousness. Then Coco focused upward, and saw an orange blot at the surface. She tried to focus on it, but to no avail, and continued to drift down. Then she saw a hand plunge into the water and grasp her by the scruff of her shirt. The hand pulled her up quickly, and an instant later she was gasping in desperation from the air that surrounded her. It took a few moments for her head and vision to clear, and when she turned she could see the worried face of her brother, eyebrows drawn in concern. Coco should have been thankful for his rescue, but instead she just glared at him as her chest heaved.

"What…took you so long?" She spoke between deep inhales.

Crash smiled, and she noticed that he let out a breath she hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Just had to go bang up some pirates is all."

Coco scoffed. "Little good it did me."

"Are you okay?" Crash seemed to just notice the cut on her face now.

Coco nodded, however painfully, and sat up to get out of Crash's support. Then he asked the next question.

"Did you get it?"

Coco felt herself panic for a second, when she realized it was not in her hand anymore. Then she saw it sitting in the water next to her, and she picked it up. Out of the water, the shine was not nearly as impressive, but the sapphire gleamed beautifully despite its lack of brightness. Crash stared at it for a couple moments.

"It's nice."

Coco had to agree, but soon the shaking of the temple brought them both out of their thoughts. Crash grinned tentatively.

"Oh right, the temple is imploding. We'd better get out of here."

The two of them sloshed through the shallow water and onto dry land. Coco took a quick moment to shake out her ponytail and step into her overalls. The dry fabric felt sticky against her wet skin, but she had more important things to worry about then mere discomfort. The two of them sprinted through the rock passage, and Coco felt her pace quicken when she saw streams of water blast from the walls. This place was going to be gone very shortly. She didn't know how Crash was planning to get them out, but then she saw with relief that he had made an exit.

"After you Milady." Crash offered as the temple began to crumble above them.

"We don't have time for your stupidity." Coco barked as she shouldered past her brother and crawled through the hole.

Crash was right behind her, and soon enough the two of them were stumbling down the rocky cliff. Coco was still feeling slightly lightheaded, but her vision was getting less shaky as she progressed. Unfortunately, the shaking ground didn't help her pounding headache. She pressed her palm against her forehead, and wondered how they were going to escape. From how fast the ancient structure was crumbling, she expected that in order to survive they would need to get off the land entirely. She was about to speak, when she started to make out loud shouts of profanity and sounds of shuffling feet over dirt. Crash had a guilty look on his face.

"I think we should refrain from going that way, if we can help it."

Coco didn't have to ask why. Crash was adept at being annoying and hard to squish, which was no doubt very frustrating for a large group of angry pirates. Coco looked back at the temple, and then she felt some strange vibrations that weren't synchronized with the explosions. Coco gripped the relic to her chest, and some calculations zipped through her head in quick mental flashes. If this truly was a piece of the lost continent of Atlantis, then it was very probable that this land was due to submerge at any time. After all, if these pirates were here, they must have known about a legend or something. When a ship was the only means of transportation, it was unlikely that they'd have run into it by accident. Also, this was the past, and in the future Coco never heard of a lost Atlantis fragment. She felt her spine stiffen. This spit of land was going to sink, Coco was sure of it.

"Crash, we have to get off this island now."

Crash nodded. "I figured as much. I know just where to go."

Coco was confused, but she learned never to question her brother's methods of survival. They seemed to always come through, no matter how crazy or unorthodox the idea seemed. Coco relented as Crash grasped her wrist and guided her. Within a couple minutes at a light pace, Crash and Coco stood in front of a bobbing dinghy, and Coco's brow furrowed.

"What is this?"

"It's a little boat." Crash informed with a silly smile.

Coco grimaced, but followed Crash into the tiny boat. As they started floating out in the open ocean, Coco decided to voice her concern.

"Are you confident that it the land disappears, and we end up floating for days, that this thing won't capsize?"

"I'd be more worried about starving to death." Crash said with a surprising lack of concern.

Coco was about to say more, when they rounded the corner and she saw the giant ship floating just off shore. Crash leaned back and forth, rowing consistently.

"You didn't rowing about in this little thing was my plan did you? Really, dear sister, you should know me better than that."

"I know you more for flying by the seat of your pants. Don't pretend you planned this out."

Crash shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

Crash rowed the dinghy along side the pirate ship, and quite nimbly the two anthropoids scaled the port wall and swung over the railing. Coco glanced around and noted with suspicion that there were about a dozen coconuts rolling across the deck. She looked at her brother, who returned her look with a wily smile. Coco sighed. All of a sudden, Coco heard something from behind her, and by the way Crash stiffened he heard the same thing. They both turned around simultaneously to meet the gaze of a wide-eyed pirate. He had a pistol in his hand, but it was lowered for the time being as he processed his shock.

"What…what are you?" The pirate asked, obviously indicating their pointed ears and fuzzy orange hair.

Crash smiled in friendliness. "We are two mutated bandicoots. And yourself? You appear to be some kind of pirate, I'm guessing by your eye patch and funny hat. Where are all your buddies?"

The pirate's mouth hung open as he stumbled for words, flustered. Coco kept her eye on the pistol, and as suspected just as the pirate began to recover from his shock he lifted it. Crash was quick, and knocked the gun out of his hand. As it whirled through the air, Coco caught it, much to her surprise. She fumbled a bit with it, but when it was safely in her grasp she turned back to the exchange. Crash was still smiling.

"Dirty pool." He said slyly.

Just before Coco could ask what they were going to do about the lone pirate, the latter spun away from the bandicoots and heaved on a rope. A very loud, very attention-grabbing bell began to ring, sending an echoing message over the water to the other pirates. Instantly, Coco clubbed the pirate across the face with his own pistol. The pirate collapsed to the ground, and Coco tossed the gun away. She ignored Crash's expression, which looked somewhat disturbed at what she had just done, and then he grinned hesitantly.

"That's one way of doing it."

Coco pulled the relic out of her pocket and pointed past her brother. Crash turned about to gather what she saw. The pirates, boat-less, were beginning to swim back to the ship. Crash took his bottom lip between his teeth to think. From what Coco could derive from his face, he wasn't getting anywhere. Coco looked at the relic.

"Aku said this thing was a key to time traveling. Maybe we could use it to get out of here."

Crash walked up to her and looked at the relic, expression doubtful.

"And how would we do that? We don't know anything about these things."

"We just have to try something obvious first."

Crash cast a hesitant look at the swimming pirates. "Be my guest."

Coco furrowed her brow in concentration, and noticed that the tickling feeling scratching across her palm was curling up her arms as well. The sapphire relic began to glow slightly, and Coco gently closed her eyelids. All of a sudden, the words whispered to her like a song over a breeze.

"Time dimensional split initiate."

The words that left her lips seemed so natural, that only when she thought about what she just said did she feel confused. After the phrase was spoken, the relic began to shine, sending bright rays in every direction. Crash was looking at her, wide eyed. A slight smile came an instant later as he wrapped his hand around the relic as well, just under Coco's.

"Lucky guess."

The air continued to spiral around the pair, laced with tingling sensations that accompanied powerful magic. Coco closed her eyes as the world started to spin, and after withstanding a bright flash of light the two bandicoots were gone.


	6. Chapter 5: The Great Wall of China

Chapter Five- The Great Wall of China

Cortex felt another rumbling ache in his left temple, and he subconsciously began to massage the pain away as he grunted. His satellite was having a hard time tracking the small Australian island, probably due to all the mystical power located there. On screen, it was virtually invisible, and yet as Cortex looked into his telescope, he could see it clearly. He hadn't a clue what the bandicoots were up to down there, and it made him uneasy. Suddenly, Uka sailed into the room, and Cortex felt the storm approach with a ridged spine. There was bad news coming. Thankfully, this anger was not directed at him.

"Tropy tells me there is an interference with the time continuum." Uka spoke angrily. "He is unable to get a lock on the first relic, meaning it is not at rest. Apparently someone is interfering with our plans."

A guess came to Cortex's mind and he growled low in his throat. Uka did not seem to pick up on his distain, that, or he simply didn't care.

"Tropy has offered a plan to immobilize this threat, but to do so I need one of your strongest minions."

Cortex slowly turned to face the terrifying mask. He fumbled for words, but they came to him eventually.

"Great One, I regret to announce that all my previous minions have been either destroyed or stolen by my traitorous colleague. I have no-"

"You have the method, do you not?" Uka interjected harshly. "Make another. I will expect it to be powerful enough to destroy any creature that disturbs our plan."

With those last words, the mask was gone. Cortex sighed heavily. He still retained some of the notes of forced evolution, and yet he relied on Dr. Brio for their creation. Although it would be difficult, Cortex had no hesitation he would be able to accomplish it. He already had an image in mind for the creature that would be the decimation of Crash Bandicoot. Cortex had no doubt in his mind that the bandicoot was the stupid creature that dared interfere, and this time he would pay.

--

Crash kept his eyes closed as the strange air shifted around him. He felt as though he were in the centre of a tornado. He forced his hand to remain clasped around the relic's shaft, but despite his attempt his grip slackened. Crash thought he heard a voice call to him, but all he could feel now was the sensation of spinning out of control. He felt instantly nauseous, but kept his eyes closed out of sheer determination. Finally, he felt his whirling body hit something hard and level. The impact knocked the wind out of him, but he didn't mind at the moment. He was just happy to quit spinning.

With his eyes still closed he began to slowly feel around him, moaning, and wondered what kind of surface he had slammed into. It felt like some kind of prickly rock. With wary hesitation, Crash opened one eye, and collapsed back to his stomach when a head-crushing ache attacked his scull.

"Ow! What's with all this throbbing? Just cut me a break would yah?"

Crash kept his hand over his eyes as he struggled to a sitting position. Soon, his head calmed down enough for him to open both his eyes.

"Hey Coco, are…you…?"

Crash trailed off as he glanced around his surrounding. He was sitting in some kind of high cave, and yet he was able to see the sky though a few open gaps. Moss and grass grew over most of the ground, and trailed up the rock walls. Yet, Crash knew that he was most defiantly alone here.

"Coco?" He called, shakily getting to his feet.

She was nowhere in sight. Crash scratched his head. He knew that they had been separated during the time warp, but had they dropped in completely different time zones? Crash hadn't the faintest idea. As usual, he refused to believe his suspicion was true until he was able to prove it. Therefore, as much as how grudgingly he thought about it, he would need to search. As Crash began to walk through the cave, he noticed that the far wall was not alike to the stucco-like stone of the cave. He wandered over to it, laying his hand on the cold stone. Well, if Coco was in the same time zone, she'd probably be pretty excited to see the Great Wall of China first hand.

--

Coco landed quite inelegantly on a patch of grass. She kept the relic tight in her hand as she rolled over multiple times, finally stopping flat on her back. The sky was all she could see at her current position, and it was overcast. She rubbed her head with a soft moan, and rolled up to a sitting position. Her vision was still a bit distorted, but as she looked at what lay before her she gasped slightly. The field she was sitting in was adorned with beautiful cherry blossom trees, and the breeze carried small petals that drifted through the air like pink snowflakes.

Coco shakily rose to her feet, and stepped forward with one hand outstretched. She caught a blossom in the palm of her hand. It was exquisite. Letting the blossom fall from her grasp and join the others that decorated the grass, Coco turned her gaze to the horizon. She felt her jaw visibly drop.

"I…can't believe it."

Where the emerald shade of grass should have met the sky, a long trail of dull gray stone barred the two from one another. From the length, height, and general majesty of the wall, Coco knew that this structure could only be one thing. One of the wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China. Coco clutched the relic tightly to her chest, and in a memorized state she began to stumble toward it. She had only ever read about it, and wanted so much to see this magnificent structure with her own eyes. Coco picked up her pace as her excitement grew, and her feet slapped through a trickling creek as she got closer. Now she was directly in front of the amazing wall, her head held back as she admired the stone work.

"Just as I've always imagined it would be." Coco sighed.

Then, she felt a cold chill jolt through her. She just realized that no one was making stupid noises in her ear, and no one was complaining about her wasting time staring at a stupid rock wall. Coco whirled around.

"Crash?"

Her inquiry went unanswered, and as Coco scanned the wide open field she had yet to see a lazy orange blot on the beautiful landscape. She raised an eyebrow. Where could he have gone? She supposed she should look for him, despite the fact that she found it to be a pain. Anyway she had wanted to explore the Great Wall anyway, so if she found her brother on her walk that would be a plus.

Coco stepped into what looked like a cave, but possessed natural skylights within it that enabled it to stay light with the sun. Coco walked through it, quite cautious, but soon she gathered speed. She had no idea where the next relic was hidden, but she decided that she should probably keep an eye out for it now. As she rounded a corner, she stopped suddenly. Bulked together in the centre of the cave was a group of close to a dozen armored men. They were chattering amongst themselves in Chinese, so immersed in their conversation that they didn't notice Coco take a few slow steps backward. She held the relic tighter to her, and quietly blew out a hesitant exhale.

_That was close._

She had resolved not to be placed in a position where she had to be rescued. Of course, she was the little sister, so it was kind of her obligation to do so, but she refused to let such a stereotypical occurrence come to pass. She was a little girl, sure, but she was not going to let that stop her from getting the next relic. Now she was going a decent pace in the other direction, wary for guards now. Yet as she continued to walk, she felt her ear give a slight twitch. She could hear something…the cocking sound of a rifle. Coco leapt back just as a shot rung through the cave. She pressed herself against the wall as she irritatingly heard multiple exclamations of an intruder. Coco grimaced. So much for not being caught. Just as she saw the troupe of guards dash around the corner, weapons raised, Coco started sprinting toward the only escape route she could see. It was a gap in the rock, big enough for her to get though and maybe too small for most of her followers. She flinched as shots ricocheted around her, and leapt into the crevice. Her shoes collided with slippery stone, and she fought to keep her balance as she slid.

She did alright for someone who had never slid down rock before, but as she flipped through the air to land, her feet met a rough patch and she went sprawling onto her stomach, scratching her hands and forearms on the sharp rock floor. She lay there for a moment, but finally began to get to her feet. She was kneeling when she looked up, and her shoulders went rigid as her breath caught in her throat.

Coco found herself looking deep into the mesmerizing golden eyes of a Bengal tiger. The eyes were dangerous and angry, and the instant rumbling noise suggested the tiger was growling. Coco slowly backed away, still on her knees, wondering what she should do. When she was far enough, and the tiger didn't move, she got to her feet and started to turn. Suddenly she caught a glimpse of why the tiger was not running at her. The poor thing had its hind leg trapped in some kind of chain trap. Coco felt a wave of guilt immediately. Could she risk trying to free the tiger? Coco glanced over her shoulder, and she could here the rustling and indecision coming from the gap she just slid down. It would not take long for them to come up with a plan. She bit her lip, and looked back at the tiger. It looked angry enough to attack her as soon as she got close, but she couldn't just leave it there. Coco took a deep shaky breath and began to walk toward the animal. The tiger stiffened, glaring at her with its beautiful molten copper eyes. Coco shoved the relic inside her pants pocket, and tried to look as helpless as possible. It wasn't too hard, considering she was terrified.

"Now, don't worry. I'm going to help you, okay? But after I get you out of that trap and it would be…really great if you didn't eat me." Coco kept her voice quiet and soothing, and gained encouragement as the tiger pricked its head up, hostility replaced with curiosity. Coco came forward, hand outstretched only slightly. She looked at the tiger with sympathetic eyes, and smiled softly.

"I'm going to help you." She repeated in a song-like croon, and stretched out her hand farther.

The tiger watched her movements warily, but to Coco's surprise it closed the distance between them, thrusting its head against her hand. Coco's smile brightened as she scratched behind the tiger's ear, carefully coming closer. She slowly knelt down, rubbing the tiger's side now, and looked at the trap. It was a medieval contraption, and Coco didn't know how she was going to break it. She had no tools or blunt objects to strike it with, but she had committed herself, she would have to find a way. As she stroked the jittery wild cat, Coco contemplated what she could do. Subconsciously, she removed the relic from her pocket, now holding it loosely in her hands. Something came to her. Could she somehow send the chains, and the chains alone, in some other venue in time? If she could do that, the chains would disappear. She looked at the relic, and closed her eyes tightly.

_How can I do this? Help me._

She felt the sapphire grow warm against her skin, and again, words seemed to form from the silent movement of air around her. She opened her eyes slowly.

"Time recovery, object of exile separate from this dimension."

The words flowed like the poetic lyrics of a song Coco couldn't remove from her head. A bright blue light engulfed the chains around the tiger's leg. The tiger snarled at the change, and began to thrash about. Coco wrapped her arms around him, soothing him with soft shushing sounds. The tiger slowly became calm once again, and Coco watched with widened eyes as the chains dematerialized. Soon, the cave was quiet once again, and the instrument of imprisonment was gone. Coco sat back on her heels, and stroked the flabbergasted tiger's furry mane.

"There, you're free."

The tiger glanced at her, eyes sparkling, before he turned away and darted into a secluded exit above the cave. Coco watched the tiger escape, and sighed in relief. Yet her moment of contentment disappeared into nervousness as four guards finally appeared. They came down the same way she did, and looked just as clumsy with the landing. Coco heard the cold sound of metal scraping over steel, and she twitched when she realized she had no weapon. She didn't know how to use the relic to attack, even if it could, and feared that it was capable of doing as much damage to her as to her enemies. The enemies advanced, and Coco quickly reached for a rock.

"Stay back jerks or I'll let you have it!" Coco warned the soldiers with more courage than she had, and raised the rock to guarantee her threat.

The soldiers exchanged glances, and then began to laugh mockingly. Coco gritted her teeth, and tightened her grip around the rock. Just as the group came closer, she hurled the rock, striking the closest guard square between the eyes. He fell back with a grunt of anguish, and for a moment, the others simply stood there in bafflement. Coco prepared herself. She wouldn't be able to escape from this. With loud cries of anger, the guards ran toward her, weapons held high. Coco collapsed against the rock wall behind her, waiting. Suddenly, a flash of shimmering ginger sailed through the air, stopping to form the couching shape of a tiger before her. Coco's mouth fell open, as did the guards'. The tiger glared at them, paws pressed hard into the stone and hair pricked down his spine. From out of the shocked stillness, a strong and terrifying roar echoed throughout the cave, and the soldiers were gone, running away from there as fast as they could. Coco was still unsure what to make of the situation. The tiger turned around, and seemed to beam at her. Coco offered a smile as she patted the tiger's head.

"Thank you."

The tiger purred so loudly, Coco first thought it might be the preliminary noise of a rock slide. Coco's smile widened.

"You've got some loud purr there."

Coco began to walk, and she wasn't all that surprised when the tiger copied her pace, walking directly beside her. Coco scratched his neck as she continued on.

"You must not have a name, if you're a wild tiger. How'd you like the name Pura?"

The tiger didn't seem to even notice she was talking, but his gigantic purr that continued to rumble closed the debate. Coco rubbed the tiger's ears affectionately. Pura it was.

--

The entire place was crawling with soldiers. Coco at least felt a little better that Pura was there with her, but it still didn't help her rising unease for her brother. She still had seen neither hide nor hair of him, and her worry was beginning to escalate. What if something happened? Coco forced these pessimistic thoughts from her mind as she continued forth, an oblivious Pura right on her heels. Coco followed the wall until she came up to a dead end. She tilted her head, and evaluated her options. It looked as though she would be able to climb up the rocks, and after some maneuvering she'd probably get to the top of the wall with out too much trouble. She looked at Pura, and smiled softly.

"I'm going to have to climb Pura. It would probably be best if you stayed here, but I'll be back."

To Coco's astonishment, Pura's content face drew back in what appeared to be worry, as though he understood what she said. Coco laid a hand on Pura's head and stroked him affectionately. Perhaps the giant cat was simply attuned to her feelings. With a final pat, Coco lifted herself over the rock platforms. It didn't take her long at all to scale the rocky cave, and soon she was close enough that if she jumped, she could probably grasp the wall. With a careful inhale followed by a sharp exhale, Coco leapt into the air, and her fingers caught the edge of the wall. She hung there for a moment, unwilling to look down. She swallowed hesitantly, and her brows furrowed in determination. An instant later, she had swung herself over the top of the wall, and was now lying uncomfortably on her stomach as she caught her breath. She absently brushed some stray strands of hair out of her eyes, and struggled to get to her feet. With a quick look around her, she felt a twitch in her nose as she realized this was not what she had been expecting. Granted, she was at a very undesirable part of the wall. She would have to get a better view before they left this dimension.

Coco inhaled sharply as she heard something approach her. Without waiting to see what the noise was, Coco dashed across the stone and toward the only hiding place she could see. It was an old wooden door that seemed quite out of place in such a stronghold. Nonetheless, Coco shoved the door open and concealed herself inside a dark chamber. Coco took a peek out the crack and groaned.

_Just my luck._

A pair of armed guards had begun to pace the wall close to where she hid. They must have heard some ruckus, but Coco was confident they would leave soon. This part of the wall that fed into the cave was probably the safest spot against enemies. Coco clicked her jaw. Or thieves. Coco decided that she could go nowhere else but though this dark chamber. Luckily, the sapphire relic provided its own dim light, and so Coco was able to see in the darkness enough that she didn't smash into any walls. She moved cautiously through the cold tunnels, wondering how she was going to find her way out. Then suddenly, the ground beneath her feet crumbled. Coco stifled a yelp and slid down the open hole she dropped into, holding onto the sapphire relic tightly. Somewhat to her surprise, Coco landed softly in a crouch when she reached the ground. She straitened and took a look to where she now found herself.

There was more light here, provided by flickering torches that lined the walls. As Coco gathered everything in, she realized that she must have fallen into a prison, or something. There were cells situated all around her, and some bars guarded holes to different levels. Coco began to walk, slowly, hoping she wasn't going to run into any escaped prisoners. As she wandered through the jail, Coco stopped suddenly. She could hear something, something that sounded like…snoring? Coco started to dash and winded through some of the tunnels, stopping when the rumbling noise was at its peak. Coco dropped to her knees, and looked through the bars that separated her from the next floor. Her brother was laying in one of the cells, having a pleasant nap. Coco's jaw dropped, and a moment later anger curdled within her.

"CRASH!"

Crash flipped off the pallet he was sleeping on and landed hard on his belly, he got to his feet an instant later and gazed upward. With a smile, he waved.

"Hey Sis, how goes the search?"

Coco clenched her fists. "What…are you doing down there?"

Crash offered a shrug. "I got caught. I don't really mind the prospect of being locked in the bowels of an ancient stronghold, but I was convinced that I'd be getting meals. I haven't got one yet."

"It's because they're leaving you locked in there to rot, you idiot."

"That would explain why they tossed me into a hole, and didn't just take me down here themselves. I thought they were just lazy."

Coco clenched her jaw. "If I'd describe anyone as lazy at this particular moment Crash, I don't think it'd be the guards."

Coco was appalled. She had been worrying so much about making sure she wasn't caught, that she didn't even fathom that her stupid hero of a brother would become imprisoned so easily. Coco let out a long sigh and rested her forehead on her hand.

"So how do you plan to get out of there?" Coco asked with exasperation.

Crash tilted his head, as though he didn't understand the question. Then he laughed.

"I've already worked on the old rusty lock, so I'm ready to go whenever."

"Then you've always been able to get out!?" Coco snapped.

"I can't sleep as well when I'm locked in Coco, really, that shouldn't be so surprising."

"That's not what I-" Coco stopped herself, since her brother was still grinning fiendishly.

He was just bugging her. Coco inhaled deeply through her nose to calm her frustration.

"So, while you were lying there uselessly, did you by any chance figure out how we're going to find the next relic?"

Crash's smile confirmed to Coco that her brother had good news regarding this, and that filled her with relief. She hoped that she wouldn't have to hold her breath until her lungs popped again. Crash reached for an old book that Coco hadn't realized was there.

"I landed on this book when I went careening out of control. I took a look at it. It's got some nice pictures, but all the writing in it just looks like gibberish."

"It's written in another language Crash, that doesn't make it gibberish."

"I can't make sense of it, and you probably can't either. Let's stick to calling it gibberish just for the sake of saving time."

Coco was ready to point out that the entire exchange had been a waste of time, but she let it pass.

"Anyway, I couldn't really understand what they were talking about, obviously, but then a nice chap seemed to make an English translation in the margins."

Coco shivered. It probably belonged to another prisoner that was caught in the cell, but if the book remained, it was probable that the explorer or looter didn't make it out.

"It just talks about an ancient family, some kind of conspiracy, and some other stuff like that."

Coco tapped her fingers on the bars. "Would you get to the point please?"

Crash tipped his head. "Certainly. What did catch my attention was this little picture of our little friend."  
Crash held the book upward, and Coco caught a glimpse of a rough sketch of the talisman they were looking for.

"Gold then?" Coco guessed.

Crash nodded. "It's some kind of family heirloom or something, I don't know. It says a few years ago some monks stole the relic and locked it somewhere in the Great Wall. They mention a resting place, and that they forged a key that could only fit the rock when the moon reached the midnight point. I don't really get most of this, but I think this Chinese guy found the key, and keeps it locked away. There's a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo, but the only bit of it that concerns us is this fella's got the key, and we need it to get to the relic."

Coco nodded. "So what's the plan then?"

"You go get the key, and I start looking for the door. I think that's a fair compromise."

"How am I going to get into the house to get the key?" Coco was a little befuddled.

Crash closed the book and shrugged. "Hey, I'm going to be wondering through filthy rat infested tombs that are probably cursed, and all you need to do is sneak through some elegant mansion to get a key. Let's not be complaining."

Coco stood up, stretching the sore muscles affected by remaining crouched for so long. She kept her eyes focused on her brother.

"Well, that's settled then." Then Coco added awkwardly. "Are you sure you can get out of there?"

Crash offered a quick salute. "Don't worry about me Sis. I'm a pro at this stuff remember?"

Coco smiled slightly, and then started turned to follow her path back outside.

"Hey Coco?" Crash called, and Coco spun about to look through the bars again. Crash grinned. "Be careful, kay?"

Coco returned the grin and nodded. "Good luck big brother." As Coco started walking she added fiendishly, "Careful of rat bites."

"Aww! Why'd you have to say that?!"


	7. Chapter 6: Golden Treasure

Chapter Six- Golden Treasure

The guards were gone when Coco returned, just as she suspected. Still, it never hurt to be cautious. Coco slipped through the door, and before figuring out where she planned to go she leaned over the wall. She squinted to get a good look at the cave below, but she was unable to see Pura anywhere. Just as well, Coco couldn't go back into that cave now anyway. She sauntered over to the other side of the wall, and took a peek over. The view was absolutely magnificent. Although the sky was so cloudy that Coco couldn't see much of the colours, the glow of the sunset warmed Coco to the core of her soul. It was breathtaking. Coco realized she hadn't the time to admire natural beauties. She had a job to do.

She could see that not too far away, an exquisite oriental manor rose above the cherry blossom trees. Crash had said the structure that guarded the key was owned by a very rich family. Since Coco could not see any other richly crafted mansions nearby, she decided to try her luck with this one. Now there was the problem of getting herself down. Luckily, a tree was rooted not too far from the wall. With a deep breath and furrowed brow, Coco leapt through the air, arms outstretched. She felt the wind slam from her chest as she collided with the branch, and she wrapped her arms around the tree to keep from sliding off. She remained in that position for a few moments to catch her breath, and then she began the careful climb down to the grass. As far as she knew, she still hadn't been spotted. As she darted through the shadows toward the manor, she could see that there was a raised path that connected to the house, connecting it to the Great Wall. Coco pursed her lips. Sure, it would have been easier to just waltz up to the front door, but she could already guess that there were plenty of guards sanctioned up there. Coco went with her first instinct, and started for the servants' entrance. She was quite confident she'd find a window or something to slip through unnoticed.

--

Crash pushed past the squeaking cage door and started off at an easy pace down the rows of cells. It was dark, grimy and smelly, but Crash kept going however grudgingly. He glanced into every cell, hoping that each one was as empty as the ones he previously past by. So far so good. Crash flipped open the notebook, and read a passage.

He still couldn't really make sense of it. The best he figured was that this relic was stolen from somewhere else, and one of this tomb raiding family's most prized possessions. Crash smiled softly.

_So these guys aren't going to be too happy when we take it off their hands._

From how the person writing in the notebook described the family, they weren't very nice anyway. They had been brutal tyrants a while ago, but there was only one living relative that remained. The author was convinced they killed each other off in effort to keep the inheritance to themselves. The last member of the family was a fellow named Deshi Huang, a cruel but eccentric man. There were also a few side notes that made Crash snicker. The author found the name association amusing, since according to him, combined his names could mean "virtuous emperor". Well, this guy wasn't an emperor, and as Crash read over his character description he wasn't too virtuous either.

Crash was getting tired of reading this stuff. What he needed was a map. Crash flipped through the book, looking for anything that resembled what he wanted, and a minute later he found it. It was old, and there were a lot of scribbles on it, but Crash could understand it if he squinted. He just needed to keep going down the passage he was currently on until he met a crossroads. Crash grinned. He could do that.

--

Coco pressed her face against the window glass, but no one was in the room. Carefully, Coco pushed open the window, and slid through as quietly as she could. It was lucky she was small, or she'd have never fit through that little opening. Coco started to tiptoe through what looked to be a magnificent closet. There were tons of weird items, as well as rows of dazzling outfits. Coco made it to the door, and tentatively looked through the crack. There were people walking all over the place. Most of them appeared to be women, and they were all completely dressed up with colorful outfits and exquisite hair styles. If Coco was going to get through there unnoticed, she realized she may have to disguise herself. She felt each dress on the rack with an outstretched hand, wondering which one she should wear.

She found a pretty pink one with golden embroidery winding up the sleeves and at the neckline. It was adorned in silver cherry blossoms, along with a deep scarlet sash. Coco realized that she wouldn't be able to wear her regular clothes underneath, considering how lumpy they were. So she took off her shirt and pants, leaving them folded tightly in a concealed spot. She would need to remember to return here later. She pulled out her pony tail, letting her hair tumble down her back. There were some convenient hair accessories and combs placed on one of the tables, so Coco got busy. She wrapped her hair in two buns on either side of her head, and let the remaining strands remain loose. There was no mirror, so she couldn't study her work, but she realized she didn't really have time to lose anyway. She slipped into some tiny sandals, and headed for the door. It was only when she remembered her face that she stopped suddenly. Her face was covered in short orange fur, and she was pretty sure someone would notice her pointy ears. She looked around the room again, and snatched an intricate headdress from a vanity table. It did the job, covering her ears and casting a thin veil across her face. It was the best she could do, and now she'd have to test it out.

Coco strode through the door, and immediately began to walk along the furnished hallway, purposely not catching the glances of any passerby. Since Coco didn't have a map, she would have to wander around until she found a way to the key herself. The majestic halls were lit with only dim lanterns, and the heavy shadows would conceal Coco even more. Or so she hoped. She wandered through hallway after hallway, having absolutely no idea of where she planned to go. Suddenly she felt someone grab her hard by the arm. Coco whirled about in surprise, holding the veil to keep it in place. The woman who demanded her attention was an older lady, but her face was scowling in an anger Coco suspected was directed at her. The woman started snapping at Coco in a dialect that she could only guess was Chinese.

_What is she saying? What does she want me to do?_

Coco shifted her weight from one foot to the next uncomfortably, unsure of what her next plan was. The woman continued to chatter as she took Coco's wrist and started dragging her off. Coco could do nothing but follow, unable to object since the woman probably wouldn't understand what she was saying anyway. She was brought to an elegant chamber, with beautiful bronze statues adorning the perimeter. The gruff woman all but threw a rag at Coco, and then she was gone. Coco stood there with her mouth ajar as she held the rag.

_Does that old bat honestly expect me to clean up for her? She's got another thing coming._

Yet there were a few more girls in the chamber, and they were offering her some very suspicious looks. Coco decided to play it safe and tidy for a while, until she could figure out a way to escape without notice. She polished a statue of a very triumphant dragon, smiling with a sneer that made Coco shiver. Just as she was finishing the tail, she heard a rustling behind her.

"Well, you look new here."

Coco continued to dust until she felt a hand touch her softly on the shoulder. When the hand remained there, she froze, and gritted her teeth. She spun around and knocked the hand away.

"Hey, hands off buddy."

Through her veil she could just make out the features of a handsome young man, and the devious smile he wore reminded her instantly of the wily dragon she had just finished cleaning. It gave her the same chilly feeling. The man took a step closer to her, and Coco stood her ground.

"You speak English?" He asked in a low croon of a voice.

Coco nodded curtly. "I picked it up."

"I am sorry to sound offensive. Not many servants know the language, which is a shame. Yet I admit it is quite a tasteless dialect."

_I'd say something else is pretty tasteless around here._

Coco inched back, feeling the corner of a pedestal gouge into her back. She'd rather that than being forced to stand so close to an uncouth character as the man who stood before her. All of a sudden, he bowed, and Coco jumped. He didn't seem to notice that he startled her, that, or he just wasn't concerned.

"I am called Deshi Huang, a pleasure to meet you."

Coco scoffed. "I'd like to say the feeling is mutual."

The man paused in mid bow, and tilted his head to face her. There was something in his gaze that made Coco's blood curdle. Then he smiled with crooked teeth that contrasted with his neat appearance.

"Not many girls would speak so freely to the master of this household."

Coco's breath caught in her throat. Oh crap. Coco immediately tried to back-peddle.

"Oh, I apologize sir, I meant-"

"Don't bother with apologies." The man interjected flippantly. "Had I wanted you killed for your boldness I would've executed you already. But there's something I like about you."

Coco felt cold at the casual way he spoke the words, but she dared not speak again. At least for now. The man took her hand and placed it in the hook of his arm. Without telling her where they were going, the man towed Coco along until they came to an extravagant golden door. Coco held her breath as she entered, staggered by the sweet and exotic smells that danced around her. The man was beaming.

"Welcome to my private chambers."

Coco swallowed sharply. This entire incident was becoming increasingly inconvenient. Huang placed a hand on Coco's shoulder, and the latter twitched.

"You're smaller than the others. Where are you from?"

His hands were big and ugly, which Coco realized was another thing that contradicted his well proportioned face. Coco slipped from his grip, knowing exactly what was going on and not liking it a bit.

"It smells…interesting, in here." Coco spoke rapidly, figuring how she was going to get this cad away from her so she could continue with her search.

"Don't change the subject." Huang appeared in front of her again, and this time Coco was too close to the wall to step away without the action appearing deliberate. He leaned toward her, and then reached for the headdress hiding her face.

"I'd like to see your face." Huang said quietly.

Coco kept the headdress in place with one hand.

"I'll bet you would." She returned angrily.

Just as Huang began to put more force behind the removal of Coco's disguise, there was a loud knock at the door. Huang stopped, and then spun around.

"This had better be important." The threat in Huang's words was not hidden in the slightest.

The door creaked open, and an elderly man poked his head through. He was dressed in the metal garb of a soldier, complete with helmet.

"Sir, there is a disturbance in the catacombs that I think you may want to look into."

The sleazy man groaned, and turned toward Coco with a regretful smile.

"Duty calls. Be sure to remain here until I return."

Coco returned the smile despite the fact that the cad couldn't see it. "Of course, I have nothing better to do." Her tone was full of distain, but the jerk didn't seem to notice.

Then, he was gone, and Coco had the room to herself. As soon as she was sure no one was by the door, she began rummaging though everything, looking for the key.

--

Crash rubbed his sore fists. Around him, five guards lay sprawled in various positions. Crash shook his head in bafflement.

_Now where did these guys come from?_

Crash figured he must be close to his destination now. If this Huang guy knew where the relic was, he probably had quite a few guards patrolling it. Crash wondered as he walked through the tunnels why Huang wouldn't just go and get the talisman himself, if he had the key. Then Crash realized if he hadn't received the inheritance yet, there would really be no need to unlock it. The book also said that these guys believed it held magic powers. Maybe Huang just liked the idea of having the relic, without needing to go get it so he could admire it every day before breakfast. Crash continued at an easy pace, feeling a bit uneasy as small clicking sounds began to echo across the stone walls. Crash grimaced.

_Well, that can only be the sound of more shiny metal jerks coming to ruin my day._

--

Coco dashed about manically, hands a blur as she fingered through drawers and popped the lids off small trinket boxes. She was getting frustrated, and the damn veil kept getting in her way. She tossed it off her head with a snort, shaking her blond hair and causing the mousy buns to bounce with the movement. She was getting frantic. That jerk would probably be back any minute, and if she didn't find the key in that time she doubted she'd get a second chance.

During her snooping, she smiled slightly when she noticed a small ivory lever hidden behind a row of musty books. Coco gently tweaked the lever, and turned just in time to see a concealed door slide open, revealing a dark inner chamber within the wall. In too much of a hurry to be cautious, Coco strode into the tiny room, and reached for the box that lay on the centre table. Inside laid a marvelously elaborate key, decorated with a scarlet tassel. Coco snatched the key in her hand, and walked out of the little vault. She didn't have anywhere to put the thing, since the only pocket she possessed was holding the sapphire relic. Coco rushed toward the door, but then stopped when she heard raised voices.

"You fool. I have no time to give orders on the dealing with thieves, you must know the routine by now."

"But sir, he has disabled some of our strongest-"

"What gives you evidence that I would care in the slightest? Find him, and destroy him, the orders shouldn't be so difficult for any of your elite to complete."

"He has made it through our barricades, and has reached the end of the gate. He is very close to the treasure room my lord."

"Making it to the treasure chamber is useless without the key to unlock the door. And I hold that. Honestly, this entire experience is growing increasingly tiresome. Now, see to it that I am not disturbed. I have some business to attend to."

Coco rolled her eyes, and waited for the inevitable. Huang pushed open the door with a wide smile plastered to his face, but when he saw her standing directly in front of him with his key in her hands the grin disappeared. He must have noticed the characteristics that separated her from the human category, because the first thing he said was,

"What are you?"

Coco cocked her head to the side in an innocent expression, and then a moment later she kicked him so hard between the legs she felt the impact shudder up her leg. Huang fell with a gnarled gasp, and lay there as Coco towered over him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm a bandicoot, dirt bag."

After that relieving statement, Coco leapt over the man wallowing in anguish, and took off at top speed down the hallway. She dashed past wide-eyed servants scattered around, but thankfully no one recovered fast enough to try and stop her. A moment later she could hear the loud gongs and blaring bells of an alarm blaring through the household. She bit her bottom lip and picked up speed. She'd have to get out of here fast. Amazingly, she found her way to the front door, and threw open the large wooden thing by slamming her shoulder into it. She pushed, and it opened just enough for her small frame to squeeze through. Now she was outside in the moonlit darkness, and almost twenty guards were there waiting for her. When they saw her, they snapped to attention, raising their rifles fluently. Coco swallowed hard and couldn't move. Her legs were shaking as they aimed, and she waited for the inevitable. All of a sudden, the scene changed miraculously before her. Pura leapt out of nowhere, leaping atop one of the guards while wearing a frightening look to kill. While the soldiers were frozen in shock, Pura rushed toward Coco. Coco wasn't sure how Pura planned to escape, but a second later and she realized it. Quickly, Coco lifted a leg astride the massive tiger. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.

"Run." She whispered encouragingly.

Pura took off at a dead sprint, literally running over any soldiers that were stupid enough to remain in his way. Coco could hear the sounds of gunshots, and felt ridged as bullets ricocheted around them. There was still whirring sirens screaming even as Pura and Coco left the grounds of the mansion and were now directly on the Great Wall. From what Coco overheard, Crash was almost at his destination, and that was at the end of the wall. She needed to make it there before the moon reached midnight. Coco didn't have to direct Pura, for the smart feline already seemed to know where to go.

They continued at a galloping pace, and Pura didn't slow down for an instant. He was amazingly fast. Coco thought they may have made it without further interruption, but she was wrong. She could hear the smacking sounds of hard hooves over stone, and she held her breath as she took a look behind her. Close to thirty horses were running full out toward them, their riders had their guns ready for the moment Coco and Pura came into range. Coco turned back around when she heard Pura hiss softly. Coco's jaw dropped. Directly in front of them, a garrison of guards was positioned in an efficiently organized pattern. When they decided to shoot, Pura and Coco wouldn't have a chance. Coco could feel some blond hair escaping from her buns, but she didn't bother to brush it away. She held the key tightly in one hand and Pura's sleek fur in the other. She closed her eyes, the knowledge of what was about to happen hitting her hard.

The very next moment, Coco felt herself sailing through the air. Pura had leapt before they were in range, and all the soldiers could do was stare as the tiger cruised through the air above them. Coco was flabbergasted, but she wasn't willing to question such a fantastic turn of events. Pura landed delicately, and began to run again. Coco's pink kimono billowed in the passing air as she stroked Pura's neck.

"Now that was some jump."

Coco focused directly ahead, and she could make out the end of the wall. She needed to get the key down to Crash as quickly as possible. If Huang knew about Crash, there may already be too many guards for him to handle. Nevertheless, Coco slid off Pura's back when they reached their destination and dropped to her knees at a barred hole.

"Crash!" She called, desperately hoping for a response.

A minute past and only silence reached her. Coco took a look upward and noticed that the guards had recovered from their shock and were coming after her. She was about to yell again but stopped.

"Nice for you to drop by Sis. How was the tour?"

Coco sighed in relief, but her voice was serious. "I'm sending the key down there Crash, meet me on the outskirts by the biggest tree. Got it?"

"Crystal clear sweetheart."

Coco still would feel better if she could see him, but an echoing voice served to prove his present safety. Coco released the key and watched it slide down the hole.

"Good luck Crash!"

She couldn't wait to see if her brother returned the exclamation or not. The soldiers had just about reached them. Coco jumped on Pura's back again, and thankfully the tiger seemed to already have a plan. Just as the guards approached, Pura jumped off the side of the wall and slid down an angle of slippery stone. Suddenly, both Pura and Coco splashed into a deep body of water, and Coco was just able to take a gulp of air before completely submerging.

--

Crash was in a sticky situation for a while. He realized being pursued by armored guys with guns was not too fun. He sprinted through the tunnels, not even having the time to look at the map. After Coco had dropped the key, he had it in his pocket a moment later to continue his run. They were still hot on his heels, but Crash was confident he finally gave them the slip. He slid into a narrow crevice, and sidestepped through his escape route until he reached the other side. With a grin, he heard the gruff surprised voices of the guards who had run right by him.

_Well, dodged that bullet._

Crash slipped out of the crack and into an open section of the underground labyrinth. He pulled back his shoulders in a quick stretch, and then took a look at the explorer's notes again. Although Crash was quite sure he had been on the right track, he had absolutely no idea where he was now. How was he supposed to find his way back, with guards patrolling the entire place? Suddenly, Crash felt an involuntary shiver and looked up. Positioned directly in front of him, embedded in the stonework, was a rounded mahogany door with gold bands that formed the symbol of the relic. Crash tilted his head.

"It's always nice when that happens."

Crash strode over to the door, ignoring how eerie the complete silence sounded, and placed the key in the lock. He then remembered the rule about the moon having to be positioned at midnight. Yet Crash realized he didn't have a clock. How was he supposed to know when to unlock it? All of a sudden, a beam of pure white light entered somewhere from the top of the chamber, and funneled into one sparkling silver ray. That ray touched the inner circle of the relic, and there was a quiet scraping sound as the bands of bronze and silver repositioned themselves. An instant later, and there was only silence. Crash grinned crookedly.

"Well, that would do it."

There was a clicking sound of a heavy bolt retracting as he turned the key, and then Crash slowly pushed the door open. He wasn't too sure if there would be any traps or anything, but he wasn't in the mood to be careful. Death by spears at least was a quick death, and Crash hadn't the time to be vigilant. The golden relic was cradled in an embrace of bronze and silver, wound about in an intricate pattern that resembled two entwined lizards. Crash edged closer and wrapped his hand around the relic, noticing that the lizards had wings. It was when Crash pulled the relic from its resting place that he considered…dragons. Crash began to leave, thinking that entire episode was quite simple. Suddenly, he could hear a loud rumbling. He turned to see that the iron dragons had crumbled to dust, and just behind the column that held the relic were two amethyst eyes, shining in the dark. Crash swallowed, and slowly backed away from the mammoth head that poked through the concealed darkness. It had a long, dagger-like snout, and a hood of prickly golden scales that bordered its scaly face. Crash continued to back away as the dragon started to snort up smoke, looking quite famished at it licked its chops.

"Look here fella. I didn't mean to wake you up or anything, so sorry 'bout that. Now, how about just going back to sleep and this'll be our little secret?"

Obviously the dragon didn't agree, because tiny flames were beginning to build up within the creature's mouth. Crash turned on his heel and ran, dashing past the crevice and taking off into the unknown tunnels. He could feel the heat of flame on his back, but he continued to run with the relic tightly grasped in one hand. He needed out of there, and quick. He dashed through winding paths, hoping to loose the dragon that was literally hot on his tail. Yet the giant lizard must have had wings or something because it seemed to be catching up despite the handicap its bulk weighted on it. Crash kept an eye out for any exit, but unfortunately his unaccustomed knowledge of the tunnels proved to be his downfall. The only thing ahead of him was a dead end. Crash snarled, but an idea came to his head quickly enough.

Fluidly, Crash slipped behind a jut of rock, concealing himself from his scaly pursuer. The dragon, gaining too much momentum, smashed through the stone wall and sent rock shards whirling in every direction. Crash walked blindly through the smoke, and suddenly he felt a blunt object hit him hard across the stomach. With a lurch, Crash doubled over, grasping whatever it was that smashed into him, and was quite surprised when the object pulled him out into the open air. When Crash's vision cleared, he could see that he was holding on to the dragon's tail, and the winged beast was flapping furiously through the sky. Crash held on tight.

_Maybe he doesn't notice._

Just as the thought crossed Crash's mind, the dragon turned its frightening head and blew a billow of fire in Crash's direction. Crash instantly dropped from the tail, and found himself plummeting through the air. He sighed.

"Well, that was a long shot." Crash mumbled with a crumbling optimism.

Crash had fallen so many times before, that he was not nervous about gaining a few bruises. What he was worried about was hitting the ground so hard he'd be nothing but a splatter of orange goop. So he did one of the things he did quite well. He started spinning. The helicopter effect slowed him down immensely, but he still hit the ground hard enough that his knees buckled. Crash could see a white shaft obscure his vision as the impact shook his insides.

"Crash!"

Crash shook off the effect until he could plainly see his sister, a worried expression on her face. Her eyes were fixed on something above him, and Crash didn't need to take a look to know what the thing was. He started at a dead sprint toward Coco.

"Say those words again!" He yelled as he pumped his arms to gain speed.

Coco looked as though she was thinking for a moment, and then loudly called out:

"Time dimensional split initiate!"

Azure light intertwined with a golden glow as Crash got closer to his sister. Coco's arm was wrapped around the neck of a tiger, but Crash continued forward despite his confusion. An angry roar shook the ground as Crash picked up speed. Finally, the light obstructed the nightly surroundings and wrapped the bandicoot siblings in blended light. Crash and Coco reached out and grasped hands just as the time warp snatched them from their current dimension.


	8. Chapter 7: Prehistoric Ambush

**Chapter Seven- Prehistoric Ambush**

Cortex presented his latest creation to his superior, a beaming smirk on his face. The creature that stood before Uka Uka was tall, oddly proportioned, and uglier than any living animal alive. Cortex couldn't be prouder.

"Great Uka Uka, I introduce to you the minion who will be the key factor in Crash Bandicoot's destruction."

"Empty words Cortex." Uka snarled. "What exactly is that thing?"

"The name's Dingodile mate, and I don't take kindly to being called-"

Cortex cut off his new minion's complaint with an awkward cough. "He's the combination of an Australian dingo and a crocodile. He has a dingo's natural speed and ferocity, as well as a crocodile's brute strength and raw fury. He is a creation that I am confident will not let us down."

Uka seemed to consider, looking over both creation and creator with a skeptical expression.

"Very well. This creature seems satisfactory. Now have it ready to be transported."

Cortex watched hesitantly as Uka floated away. "May I ask what the next step is, Great One?  
"No." And Uka was gone.

--

At first, Crash thought he was asleep. It would have been a nice surprise if he had woken up to the warm humidity of jungle air and a sweet fresh smell of wamba fruit waiting to be devoured. Crash opened his eyes, and as his gaze scanned the massive rusty rocks and rivers of magma he groaned. Steam hissed from the cracks that split across the ground, which, to Crash, looked disturbingly unstable. He got to his feet, stretching a knot in his back, and immediately searched for his sister. He found her not three strides from him, laying on her back in a delicate unconsciousness. What surprised Crash the most was the tiger from their China exertion had somehow been trapped within the rift, and was now standing there before his eyes. The tiger appeared very concerned, and nuzzled Coco in attempt to rouse her.

Crash dropped down beside Coco and looked her over for injuries. She seemed fine, but Crash did notice quite a lump on her forehead. Crash supported her head in one arm, and felt a wave of relief at this information. It was his first time saving the world with a sidekick, and he was still getting used to it. However, he was glad that at least Coco had the capacity to take care of herself, and even him for that matter. She was a smart girl, his sister. The tiger glared at him warily, making Crash clear his throat in nervousness.

"Hey kitty, don't you worry your tail about her. She'll be fine."

The tiger didn't seem convinced, but it backed off just the same. As Crash glanced around, he had just begun to notice the prehistoric theme that was dominating the environment. Crash smiled without humor.

"Pirates, dragons, dinosaurs…I'm sure this little trip will become more interesting eventually."

Crash lifted Coco, who was surprisingly light, in his arms and stood. Suddenly he remembered the relics. Coco was still holding the sapphire talisman in her hands, for which Crash was thankful. Yet as he fumbled around for the gold relic, he began to feel tense. He heard the tiger growl, and he turned to find the threat. A skinny dinosaur was pleasantly flipping the gold relic in its clumsy claws, having a grand old time. Crash started in a mad dash toward it, which probably wasn't the best idea.

"Hey you! Give that back you rotten…"

Crash trailed off as the dinosaur began bouncing at an amazing speed from its previous position. Crash started running over the prehistoric rock, knowing that the rough movement was not good on his unconscious sister. He gently laid Coco in an indent of stone, and looked hard at the tiger.

"Watch her, kay? They'll be some catnip in it for you."

Crash waited until the tiger plopped down beside its charge, taking its job seriously enough that Crash felt safe to chase the relic-filching lizard. Crash started running at a full sprint, able to see the green dinosaur in the distance. He was in a cave at the moment, and by the glowing pools of lava, it looked as though he was in some kind of volcano. Wherever he was, he needed that relic so he could get out. He didn't much fancy dinosaurs. The bouncing reptile was fast, and it didn't take long for Crash to loose the thief. For a couple moments he just wandered around aimlessly, searching for any indication where his relic may have gotten to. Just then, he could see it on the stone not to far away. Crash guessed the lizard got bored with it, but he couldn't see why. The thing was so damn shiny it made Crash tingle. As he sprinted toward the relic, he could hear the distinct sound of shrieking. Despite his hurry, Crash stopped dead. Through the billowing steam, Crash's eyes widened when he saw the massive terrifying head of a tyrannosaurus rex, and began to step back when his eyes fell upon the rows of deadly sharp teeth.

Thankfully, the huge carnivore didn't appear to see him. Yet Crash still wasn't convinced he was in the clear. He continued to step back slowly, and only subconsciously realized that his foot struck a nice patch of slippery mud. He would have groaned if he had time to do so, and instantly he found himself sliding down into a very ominous crevice. Yet the crevice was not a black hole, which was great, but Crash still wasn't enthused about the situation he plunged himself into. When his rolling momentum ceased, Crash glanced up to gaze at a very large egg. When he glanced around further, he could see massive discarded shells littering the nest he was standing in. Crash scratched his head, and laid his hand on the egg after struggling to his feet. He put his face to it, and thought it felt warm to him. So why wasn't it hatching? After a brief moment of contemplation, Crash shrugged. What'd he care if an egg hatched or not?

Just as Crash began to walk out of the nest, he heard the faintest sound of chipping. He turned, and strode back to the egg. It looked almost identical to when Crash last looked at it, except for this time Crash could see just the smallest sliver chipped from the eggshell. Crash tapped the egg with his knuckles, and a few more cracking sounds were heard along with some flaking eggshell that fell to the ground.

"Come on little dinosaur, keep pluggin' away. You're getting there." Crash murmured encouragingly as he continued to tap a tune on the shell.

The baby lizard seemed to be gathering more determination, and Crash spied a tiny gray claw push its way through the tough outer crust. It began to chip away at the hole, until its wide snout popped out and it made a very peculiar noise. Crash froze. This lizard had teeth. It must have been the offspring of the killer T-rex he saw a few moments ago. When that little gaffer got out into the open, he'd probably be hungry. Crash began to step back, watching the pieces of shell start to crumble as the baby rex fought through it.

"Well, keep up the great work fella and…uh…be seeing yah."

Then Crash turned and started in a mad rush to get away from where he was. He had entered what appeared to be some kind of slimy swamp, and as his shoes filled up with gross water he winced. This wasn't turning out to be a very good day. Crash sloshed through the swamp, swinging his arms to gain momentum as he did so. It had become uncomfortably quiet all around him, and so Crash was sure something was up. He stopped, and took a slow look from one side of him to another. He crumbled into a ball when he heard a blood-curdling shriek. He took a brave look upward, and with widened eyes he could see the glittery shape of the golden relic. It was clamped in the jaws of a substantially large pterodactyl. Crash growled.

"I don't care if you're big enough to carry me away. That's mine and I want it."

Crash exploded into a sprint, which wasn't as fast as normal due to the three feet of thick liquid he was pushing his legs through. Out of the corner of his eye, Crash spied more winged creatures swoop at him. He covered his face as best he could, and kept his eyes focused on the gold talisman. He could feel the sharp scrapes of claws at his skin, and he realized as they began to pull at his fur that he might be in some big trouble. If one of these flying freaks got a hold of him and carried him into the air, who knew what would happen.

"Get outta here!" Crash yelled as he swatted at the creatures.

His verbal threats were no use against the pterodactyls. Just as he was about to give up on the relic and dive for cover, he felt his feet lift from the ground. At first, he thought it was one of the animal kingdom rejects, but as his head swiveled he wasn't sure if he should be relieved or upset. The baby T-rex was running at top speed, holding the back of Crash's pants between his teeth. Crash wasn't sure if the T-rex saved him to eat him, or just to be a Good Samaritan. Crash decided on the latter, since he wasn't in the mood for any more negativity. Crash grasped the T-rex around the neck and swung around gracefully so he was riding on his back.

"Thanks a bunch fella, now if you don't mind I'd like to get that relic back."

The dinosaur didn't seem to have any qualms about helping. The dino continued to run, and Crash adapted himself to the giant lizard's unorthodox movement. He wasn't a very smooth runner, but considering he had only been on the earth for five minutes, Crash was pretty impressed. It didn't take long to catch up to the pterodactyl, and with one leap off the T-rex's shoulders Crash grasped the relic from the flying reptile's greedy talons. Crash plummeted back to the ground and landed none too elegantly. He stood up and shook the disgusting swamp water out of his fur, and caught his breath. The baby T-rex wandered over and started cooing, its big ugly eyes wide with excitement. Crash took his chances and stepped up to the dinosaur that, as a baby, stood a foot taller than he did. Crash patted the T-rex's scaly neck affectionately.

"Thanks a lot lizard face. Now, I've got to get somewhere pretty quick, would'ja mind given me a ride?"

--

In no time at all, Crash was back at the starting point, the golden relic safely tucked into his pocket. He jumped off the baby T-rex, and jogged to where Pura guarded his still unconscious sister. Crash patted the tiger with relief.

"Thanks puss, you did good."

The baby T-rex was looking a little restless, so Crash offered him a quick thumbs up.

"If you've got somewhere to go Baby T, then go for it."

Although Crash was pretty sure the prehistoric reptile didn't understand what he was saying, he seemed to get the meaning well enough. The T-rex turned and bounded back into the swamp.

"Thanks for the ride fella! Much appreciated!" Crash called as he dropped to his knees beside Coco. "And now Sis, how's that lump doin'?"

Crash supported her head as he placed the back of his hand against her forehead. There was a good sized goose egg there, but it'd heal quickly. Coco tossed her head to the side and moaned. Pura stood right beside the pair, as still as a statue. Crash felt a wave of relief wash over him when he saw Coco's eyes begin to open.

"Crash?" Her voice was a bit distorted, and by the way her eye twitched she seemed to have a painful headache. Not that Crash was surprised.

"Hey Coco, you've got to learn to land on your feet."

Coco groaned but Crash couldn't be sure if it was because of his foul sarcasm or her head. He assumed it was a combination of the two. The twin buns pinning back Coco's long blond hair were coming out, and strands covered her face. Her pretty pink number was looking fairly dirty, probably from laying in the ash, but otherwise Coco looked fine. Crash prepared to ask about the Chinese dress and sandals, but he decided to bring it up when they got out of this prehistoric volcano.

"Are you ready to-"

Crash stopped. He heard something behind him click, and the noise of building pressure hissed through the rocky cave. Crash wrapped his arm around Coco and leapt out of the way, Pura following suit an instant later. Crash touched down lightly, careful of his sister, and watched as a fiery explosion blasted through the spot they had been occupying seconds ago. The cause of the explosion was the ugliest thing Crash had ever seen. It had an odd shaped head with twitching ears, and its jowls were quite large and dangerous looking. What surprised Crash most was the thick crocodile tail that brushed over the ground as it walked. When the creature realized that Crash and Coco weren't melted corpses in the path of his flamethrower, he snapped his fingers.

"Damn. Missed."

The thing looked up at Crash, and the latter felt himself gulp nervously. The creature's crooked under-bite only added to the ferocity of its appearance, but Crash had to say that he was more concerned about the creature's incredible weapon. The weirdly proportioned fellow was sporting a flamethrower with a muzzle longer than Crash's arm. On his back was strapped a power pack of some sort, and Crash was not rightly in the mood to be on the business end of that thing. However, Crash couldn't pass up a good jeer.

"So, what are you supposed to be?"

The creature looked at Crash, and then offered a chillingly wicked sneer.

"Name's Dingodile mate."

"Dingodile eh? Original name, combining two species together like that. No, I mean it. Fitting." Crash stretched out his arms and slowly moved away from his sister. He didn't want Coco involved in any fighting, at least not in her current condition. Dingodile stepped forward, the humor in his grin disappeared and was replaced with irritation.

"Gotta big mouth for a rat in a trap, dun'cha?" Dingodile uttered through his teeth.

Crash angled his head toward Pura. "Get her out of firing range, would you?"

Pura was beginning to complete the command when Coco propped herself up, wincing at the movement.

"No way, I'm staying with you."

Crash smiled tightly. "No you're not. Wait till you're a hundred percent and I'll let you practice on one of these goons."

Coco looked as though she wanted to protest, but she must have seen the logic in Crash's words. She was a smart girl, and knew when she was useful, and knew when she'd just get in the way. She accepted Pura's help and let the tiger drag her under the cover of a rock overhang. Crash turned back to face his adversary.

"Alright, where were we?"

"I was preparing myself for a nice meal of roasted bandicoot."

"Hmm, not really my dish fella. I think a nice salad will do for me."

Dingodile opened his mouth to say something else, but apparently thought the flamethrower would be a more efficient way to get his point across. Crash darted out of the way, using this time to steer clear of Coco and Pura. He stopped on the rocky plateau, waiting for Dingodile to discover that he was not in the same place. He slowly turned, and his face bent into a gnarled sneer.

"You're a quick one, ain'tcha?"

Another blast of flame heated the air, and Crash moved again. He dropped not two meters from where he started, and offered a slight shrug.

"Can't complain."

Dingodile was getting impatient, and looked as though he wanted to end the battle quickly. Unfortunately, although Crash had a similar goal, the result would be the direct opposite. Crash found that he could always fight harder against the minions who planned on eating him, since the mental picture was quite nauseating.

"So, you're another one of Cortex's cronies than?" Crash liked to get into a bit of conversation while he was dodging attacks, it made the time pass faster.

"Dr. Cortex ordered me to get the relics you've collected and deliver them. Oh, and to take care of you as well."

Crash ducked as a stream of fire seared over him, and rolled to get completely out of its path. He stood back up.

"Well, that was nice of him. He's such a hospitable tyrant."

Dingodile was getting very frustrated. "Why can't you stay still, and we can get this over with?"

Crash danced out of the way again, smiling. "Why don't you stop trying to melt me, and we'll have a nice chat?"

Neither request was fulfilled, and as Crash leapt out of the way once again, he found himself getting increasingly uninterested. He wanted to get out of here quick so he could get the last relic. The half-dingo, half-croc seemed to realize his method wasn't working either.

"One last chance bandicoot." Dingodile growled. "You don't sit still and let me barbeque you, they'll be another item on the menu."

Crash furrowed his brow in perplexed confusion, and only when he saw Dingodile aim toward where Coco was hiding, did Crash realize what he implicated. With a sharp inhale, Crash moved like a streak of orange light. He stood directly in front of the massive science experiment, and held onto the barrel of his flamethrower with both hands. Crash's eyes were alight with anger as he let his mouth curl into a dangerous grin.

"Not cool, mate."

Dingodile seemed surprised at first, but he recovered quickly.

"This is the creature Dr. Cortex is having such a hard time destroying? I can't imagine."

Crash's frightening smile intensified. "I always thought someone could only get run over by an ugly bus once, but congratulations freaky-face, you've broken the record."

Crash was so worried about keeping the gun from rising, that he didn't notice a massive fist fly out of nowhere. Dingodile smashed him right in the jaw, and the force of the blow caused Crash to stagger backwards. Before Crash could recover, he felt a hard blow to his stomach that crushed the air from his lungs. He sailed through the air as he noticed it was Dingodile's leathery tail that smoked him. Crash landed hard on his back, and his enemy was wasting no time now that he had the upper hand. Crash forced himself to roll out of the way as flames reached for him. The smoke from the fire burned Crash's eyes, and he was momentarily blinded.

"Crap, that hurts!"

Crash rubbed his eyes franticly, but before he could get himself to his feet, he felt a hot tip of a suspected weapon against his throat. Crash gulped as tears from the fumes poured down his face, and he could just make out the blurry shape of a very happy Dingodile.

"Say goodbye bandicoot."

Suddenly, Crash saw someone leap onto Dingodile's back. Dingodile snorted in surprise, and removed the gun from Crash's neck. Crash's vision was returning, and he watched with momentary shock as Coco sat atop the power pack on Dingodile's back. She was scowling at him angrily.

"Pick on someone your own size, you ugly brute."

Then Coco reached down and yanked a plug from the side of the power pack, and the explosive container began to wail loudly. Dingodile yelped in shock, and bucked Coco off of him. Crash got to his feet and dashed to cushion Coco's fall. The two of them lay sprawled on the rocky ground as Dingodile ripped the power pack off of him.

"Damn you fuzzy rats. You'll pay for this!"

"I've heard that one before, and I haven't received a damage bill yet." Crash mumbled pleasantly.

Coco faced her brother just as Dingodile disappeared, leaving his wailing power source in the middle of the battleground.

"Crash, that thing is going to explode. When it does, it'll probably set this volcano off as well. We need to get out of here."

"Gotcha Sis." Crash whistled loud.

Pura had already been in motion ever since Coco had surprised him with her attack, and he approached the bandicoot siblings with a sulking expression on his face. Coco patted him.

"Sorry Pura, but it's my job to help out my inept brother when he's about to kill himself."

"Would've been a nicer rescue if you could have taken him out before he scorched my eyeballs."

Coco leapt on Pura's back, and Crash realized the tiger wouldn't be able to support them both. He was pretty unsure of what he was going to do before he got an idea.

"Hey Baby T!"

Coco stared at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Baby T! Come on out buddy!"

It was a long shot, but it worked. The baby T-rex came bounding happily into the rocky clearing. Crash immediately jumped on his back as he clarified.

"This place is gonna blow, okay lizard-lips, so we've got to get out of here. Help us out?"

As if in compliance, the little rex began to trot, and Pura cautiously followed. As the time bomb behind them began to send out sharper and louder screeches, Coco and Crash picked up the pace. They were at a full gallop when the power pack exploded, and sent shockwaves shaking through the ground. The animals staggered slightly to gain their balance, but continued to run even as a rumbling shook the earth. Crash glanced behind him with a look of urgency.

"This doesn't look very good."

Crash prodded Rex with his feet, and Coco latched her arms tightly against Pura's neck. The only thing that could save them now was the speed of their steeds. The mountain was rumbling madly, and spurts of liquid fire splashed the trees around Crash and Coco, setting them ablaze. All Crash could see was the frightening golden and crimson glow of fire raking the swamp before him, and he gulped. Directly in front of them, a river of lava broke free of the volcano, and blocked their path. Crash looked behind them, and saw with unease that more lava was pouring like waterfalls and running toward them with gathering speed. They would never make that jump. Yet thankfully for the bandicoot siblings, their rides' already had a way out. Rex gathered speed, and squatted low before shooting through the air at a remarkable speed. Pura pressed both paws into the dirt, and sprung forward using his strong hind legs. Both dino and tiger sailed through the air, and their bandicoot riders could do nothing but hang on. They soared over the path of fire, and landed somewhat inelegantly on the other side.

The pair continued to run until they were well away from the volcano, and the smell of burning ash was gone from the air. The two steeds slowed to a stop, and Crash and Coco shakily dismounted. The first thing Coco did was wrap her arms around Pura, thanking him for rescuing her. Crash patted Rex on the neck.

"You did good buddy. Thanks."

Rex seemed happy with the praise, but soon his eye had caught something wandering in the darkness. He licked his chops, and glanced at Crash hopefully. Crash offered a hesitant smile.

"Sure fella, I'm not gonna stop you. Eat up chum."

With one final pat, Rex disappeared into the trees, on the prowl for a meal. Crash exhaled deeply, and turned to Coco who had rose up to a standing position again. She had the sapphire relic in one hand. Crash reached into his pocket and revealed the golden relic, and walked over to his sister. She arched an eyebrow.

"Nothing happened while I was unconscious I trust."

Crash grinned. "Of course not. This gold shiny was in the best of hands."

Coco sighed, and laid a hand around Pura's neck. "Do you think that the platinum relic is here?"

"I'm thinking Cortex's mask buddy forced us into this dimension as an ambush. He wouldn't be able to know which dimension to send his goon in without getting one of these relics, but I guess he was able to control where we landed, in which case his crony would presumably take us out. But don't listen to me, what do I know?"

Coco's brow was furrowed as she absorbed this, and then she took her brother's hand.

"Let's get going then."

"Do let's."

Coco closed her eyes, opened them, and uttered the phrase that would send them to the next dimension. The familiar light of interlaced blue and gold surrounded them, and they disappeared.


	9. Chapter 8: Future Frenzy

**Chapter Eight – Future Frenzy**

Crash sat up after a moment of waiting for the world to stop spinning, unsure of where they were but glad to be out of the dinosaur infested time zone. He rubbed his eyes, still sore from the fumes of Dingodile's flamethrower, and got to his feet. Crash realized he was sitting on some rough pavement, which was a far more advanced surface than any he had yet seen from their travels. He started walking toward a stone barricade, and as he peeked into the distance he felt his jaw drop in awe. The sparkling city before him was glittering with brilliantly constructed buildings and structures that seemed to scrape the sky. Crash scratched the back of his head and whistled.

"Wow, now that's pretty snazzy."

Just as he was admiring the amazing scene before him, he heard a small voice from behind him.

"Crash!"

Crash turned and saw Coco rushing toward him with a bundle held tightly under one arm. She was dressed differently, wearing long white pants with multiple stitching over the seams and a similar sleeveless shirt. Her blond hair was tied back in twin pigtails that bordered her face.

"Hey Coco, what's up with the wardrobe?"

Coco didn't speak until she reached him, huffing slightly from her hurried walk.

"You couldn't expect me to walk around in an ashy kimono in this dimension, do you? It's bad enough that I'm half bandicoot and, truth be told, I'm not really fond of people staring."

Crash opened his mouth to say something witty, but grunted instead as Coco threw the bundle at him.

"We'll be more inconspicuous this way, now put these on."

Coco turned on her heel and marched away. Crash didn't bother to ask where she was going. The tiger was nowhere in sight, so Coco had probably thought it wise to hide the big cat, which Crash concurred with. Nobody, even people from the future, wanted a dangerous feline roaming the streets. The slacks Coco provided were in the same style as her own, but these were dark navy and were embroidered with white stitching down the seams. She got him a jacket too, and for a moment he just stared at it grudgingly. He didn't like shirts or anything that covered his narrow and handsome physique, it made him feel stifled. Yet if these people weren't used to seeing half-evolved marsupials wondering around, then he supposed the jacket would be a good bet. He slipped into it, but left it unzipped, testing it out. It was white, lined with the same dark blue on his pants. All in all, the outfit was pretty sharp. Crash raked his hand through his long red hair as Coco returned. She cocked her head to the side as she studied him in his new look. Crash grinned.

"Too much handsome in one place, eh?"

The calculating look remained on Coco's face. "No, I'm just waiting to see how long it'll take you until you figure out your fly's undone."

Crash turned away in embarrassment as he zipped up his pants. Coco appeared at his side.

"You know, you wear jeans all the time. Haven't you picked up the habit yet?"

"I don't move around very much, so I don't have the need usually."

Coco sighed, and started walking with Crash striding up beside her. She seemed to know where she was going, but Crash decided to ask anyway.

"We've got to start looking for the platinum relic." Coco clarified, and only now did Crash realize she was holding the golden relic. "We're pretty lucky that people don't really notice anthropoids, not much anyway."

"Have you seen any others besides us?"

"No."

Crash kept his uncertainty to himself. In a city full of humans, who wouldn't be surprised to see a pair of half bandicoots taking a stroll down the boulevard? Crash and Coco wandered through the futuristic streets, with not so much as an eyebrow raised at their passing. Crash was thankful for that. Just as the bandicoot pair rounded a corner, they stopped in their tracks. The next street was completely filled with people, and above them all a few massive televisions hovered, flashing different images and echoing loud sound. Crash started forward, and he felt Coco grab his arm reflexively.

"Welcome to the 60th annual Jordon City motorcycle race. We have many contestants from last year's race who are raring to go, so be warned that the competition will be high. Remember that this year the winner shall receive the greatest prize ever offered at a Jordon Race."

Crash coughed.

"Well, with all this hubbub it's going to be pretty hard to find that relic."

"Uh, I don't think so."

Crash glanced at his sister. "Why not?"

Coco pointed toward the monitor, and as Crash took a look at the screen he let out a long groan. The platinum relic shone across the screen, decorated with confetti and extravagant symbols that illustrated this was the prize for first place. Suddenly, Crash found himself smiling.

"Hey, this is going to be a piece of cake."

Coco gave him a narrow look. "Really, you think so?"

"Sure. It's so simple; it's just waiting for us to win it. We don't have to get chased by dragons or dinosaurs, and we don't have to swim to the bottom of the ocean."

"Well, that part I did so-"

"This is so much easier!" Crash was quite giddy. He just loved it when the path was laid out for him.

Coco wasn't so convinced. "Crash, that guy on the screen said they'll be a ton of old contestants from last year, who obviously know the race and are good drivers. You've never driven a motorcycle before."

Crash closed his eyes and grinned. "Aww come on. How hard can it be?"

--

"This is really hard."

Crash was laying in a mangled mess on the ground, his bike motionless on its side a few meters away. Coco remained perched on the guard rail inspecting her hand.

"Told you so."

The race was supposed to take place at noon that very day, and Crash's knack for motorcycle racing was not coming as quickly as he thought it would. Yet he remained optimistic. Crash got back to his feet and lifted the bike in an upright position. It was a beautiful machine to say the least, with reflective 7-spoke billet wheels and chrome exhaust ports that shone brightly in the sun. Red and yellow flames clawed up the front of the vehicle, and as Crash kept his hands wrapped around the handlebars he grinned warmly.

_Damn gorgeous._

Just as Crash was about to swing his leg over to try again, Coco appeared next to him.

"Crash, we've gotta go or we're going to miss the start of the race."

Crash waved his hand dismissively. "Sure sure, when I'm good and ready."

Coco roughly pinned a number on the back of his jacket, and even less gently tossed Crash's racing helmet at him. She was glaring again.

"Now Crash."

Coco sure was scary when she was frustrated. Crash offered a pleasant smile.

"Alright then. Hop on."

Coco's big green eyes widened. "Are you kidding? I'm not riding with you, I've seen how many times you wiped out."

"I was just getting used to the handling is all; I'm well into my beginner's luck I think."

Coco remained hesitant, but Crash latched an arm around hers and pulled her astride. He revved up the engine and felt the power of the vehicle vibrate through his legs. This was gonna be fun. He stepped on the gas and zoomed off toward the start of the race, with Coco grudgingly holding on for dear life.

When Crash and Coco arrived at the beginning of the Jordan City race, all the contestants were already geared up with their bikes at the starting line. There were just a few adjustments that needed to be seen to before the race actually started. Crash skidded to a stop, taking in the competition with a cool eye. Coco hopped off the bike and looked as though she was about to collapse.

"Don't do that again." Coco growled through chattering teeth.

Crash laughed. "Don't have that need for speed, eh?"

Coco unproductively smoothed back her ruffled hair, and sighed as she looked over the track. Crash noticed just a vague look of hesitation on her face.

"What's up?" Crash's tone was light, but only to conceal his concern.

She swallowed deeply before speaking.

"I took a look at the course while you were…I guess you'd call that practicing…and it looks pretty dangerous." Coco turned so she was looking right at him, her green eyes very serious. "Promise you'll be careful, okay?"

Crash was stunned for a moment, but soon enough his lighthearted expression returned and he ruffled his little sister's hair.

"Sure Sis, don't sweat it. Now make sure you cheer for me, since you'll probably be the only one who will."

Coco looked like she wanted to knock his hand away as usual, but she refrained from it. With a quick half smile she turned and strode off toward the spectators benches. Crash looked on after her until she disappeared in a concealed spot where she wouldn't be noticed. His smile dimmed but was still present as he inhaled deeply, folded his ears and placed the mandatory race helmet over his head. He was lucky the jaw guard was so lengthy, or he wouldn't have been able to fit his long snout into it. He started his engine and gracefully weaved his bike to the start of the race. Banners flittered through the air, adding a differentiated colour to the cool grays and shimmering silver of the city backdrop. Sounds and voices were erupting from every angle, and Crash was thankful for the padding in his helmet that blocked most of the drabble out. He needed to concentrate on this race.

From out of the corner of his eye, Crash could see another bike slow to a stop beside him. Tentatively, Crash tilted his head to get a better look. Now that Crash was at a better angle, he could see that these guys were a group, maybe some kind of biker gang or something. Crash smiled slowly. Most of them had their helmets on already, but the guy on the biggest motorcycle had yet to apply his. He was a young human man, with long black hair pulled back into a ponytail. From the way he passed his narrow gaze over the track and contestants, this fella seemed pretty cocky.

"Hey Shorty, do you think you're big enough to ride without the training wheels?"

Crash felt a smirk coming on, and he took the bait.

"Is that silly smack talk directed at me?"

The pony-tail guy laughed. "Damn right. What gives you the right to enter a race like this?"

Crash pretended to think for a moment. "Well, I've got a bike and a number, so I'm good to go."

"Do you think you can beat me or my boys?"

"No, do you think I can beat you?" Crash was still grinning.

The pony-tail guy looked confused. "No."

Crash brightened. "Right then, we're both in agreement, so let's just wait and see how this pan's out. What say?" The pony-tail guy didn't answer, so Crash continued. "Just for the record you guys are pretty intimidating with your big gang and trash talk, so keep it up, its working." Crash felt himself laugh at his own wittiness.

The pony-tail guy and his buds exchanged flabbergasted looks. Just as the leader of the group was about to retort, a horn trumpeted over the crowd, slowly silencing them. The huge screens blinked on, and a very happy announcer appeared.

"MAKE YOUR WAY TO YOUR SEATS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN; THE RACE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! CONTESTANTS, PLEASE LINE YOURSELVES UP ON THE STARTING LINE."

Crash kicked his engine into gear, and moved forward with the other racers. He could sense rather than see that the ponytail guy was moving closer, probably in attempt to get the last word. Yet all Crash could hear at the moment was the booming voice of the announcer on the monitors.

"A REMINDER TO ALL RACERS, THE RACE CONSISTS OF ONE LAP ONLY, AND THE FIRST DRIVER TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE IS THE WINNER! AND REMEMBER WHAT YOU ARE RACING FOR…JORDON CITY'S GREATEST TREASURE." The screen flashed to an image of the platinum relic. "FIRST PLACE WILL RECEIVE THIS PLATINUM TALISMAN, WHICH IS PROCEEVED TO BE A REMARKABLE POWERSOURSE. NOW WE ARE READY TO BEGIN, LET US FIRST RECOGNIZE OUR RACERS."

Crash was getting tired of this whole spiel, and his insides were continuing to vibrate from the announcer's loud voice. However he leaned on the handlebars and absently started flicking his headlight on and off to keep himself occupied. Cheers rose for each name the announcer called out, but from what Crash could deduct they were not real names at all. They must just be titles of some kind. Crash wasn't very interested until he saw his own image up on the monitor, with a name ringing out to accompany it.

"AND A FIRST TIME RACER, LAZY-COOT!"

As the audience applauded, Crash felt himself get hot. His shaking smile was absolutely venomous.

"Coco…"

Then the ponytail man appeared on the monitor.

"AND OUR WINNER FROM LAST YEAR, BLADE-OF-EXECUTION AND HIS GANG!"

A loud jeer rumbled from the crowd, but the guy Crash decided to refer to as Blade had the same conceited smile on his face. After the drivers had been introduced, the announcer appeared on the screen again.

"THE 60TH ANNUAL JORDON RACE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. REMEMBER THE TRACK IS treacherous, STRETCHING OVER THE DEMOLISHED FRAGMENT OF THE CITY YET TO BE REBUILT, BE CAREFUL AND DRIVE FAIRLY."

"They say that, but out there on the track, anything goes." Crash turned a fraction to angle a look at Blade, whose smile was infuriating as he slipped his helmet over his head. "Believe me."

Crash returned the smirk. "I'll keep that in mind."

"DRIVERS, START YOUR ENGINES!"

Crash's motor was all ready running, but he revved it up for a nice effect. When the entire area was rumbling with the vibrating sounds of running motors, the announcer disappeared and the number three replaced him. Crash snapped down his visor, and locked his hands around the bars of his bike, his shoulders feeling tense with anticipation. As the screen blinked the number two, Crash looked over at Blade. He was riding the tremor of his motorcycle, and all Crash could see when he looked at him was the mirrored surface of his sleek purple visor. Somehow over the roaring of engines, Crash could make out Blade's final statement.

"Better watch your back."

Crash cocked his head innocently. "If this plays out like you think it will, _you'll_ need to watch _your_ back." Crash smiled. "It's only a matter of logic."

Blade looked confused, but Crash didn't have time to perplex him any longer. The screen passed through one and the image of a green flag waved itself over the monitor. Crash grinned tightly. Green means go. Crash stepped on the gas, and felt his wheels squeal against the asphalt. A billow of smoke later and he was shooting over the track, other contestants picking up speed inches away from him. Crash focused on keeping his steering straight until the group spread out a little, and that would give him some room to maneuver. When Crash found his own space, handling his bike became a little easier. He was getting pretty cocky as he wove through other racers, until he rounded the corner. He felt his jaw drop as he figured that when the announcer warned about the roads being treacherous, he sure wasn't kidding. This side of the city, the side he was plunging through now, was an industrial wasteland. It looked as though it had exploded multiple times, leaving the ground littered with debris and each building had at least one large chunk taken out of it. It was a mess, but Crash didn't slow down as he left the smooth road behind him and began to cross the rocky road ahead. His body vibrated as the wheels strove for traction over the dislodged asphalt, leaving behind a dusty trail through the rubble. Crash noticed absently that there were monitors hovering over the stretch of road, the advanced technology looking out of place in the city of ruins.

"AND AS THEY NEAR THE FIRST MARKER, IN FIRST PLACE WE HAVE IRON-CLUB, IN SECOND PLACE RAVAGE-HAWK, IN THIRD PLACE BLADE-OF-EXECUTION AND IN FORTH PLACE LAZY-COOT!"

Crash laughed. He was in forth place! That was pretty good considering only a half hour ago he couldn't find the ignition. Yet that meant there were three dozen racers behind him wanting to get past, not to mention that Blade's gang was in the rear. With enemies at the front and from behind, Crash felt right at home. With a grin Crash leaned forward and gave his bike an extra burst of speed, roaring over the road.

As he scanned the track ahead, he could see that there was a sharp bend that would be pretty difficult to get around. Difficult but not impossible. Crash sped closer to a building, and pulled up easily alongside Blade. By the way his helmet tilted, the other driver noticed him, and Crash expected he was going to try something fishy. Be that as it may, Crash didn't have time to get around this guy. It would be hard enough trying to make the turn. Crash leaned into the turn, bringing his thigh close to the rushing road. As Crash continued on his forty-five degree turn, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise in instant warning. Crash turned and noticed too late what his adversary was planning.

Blade slid in front of Crash, bringing the back of his bike and slamming it into Crash's front wheel. Crash was propelled out of the turn, and immediately lost control. While he spun over the road, kicking up dust with his squeaking wheels, he could hear the announcer bellow over the track.

"OH! AND BLADE-OF-EXECUTION TAKES OUT LAZY-COOT ON TURN ONE. THIS KID IS GOING TO HAVE TO PICK IT UP IF HE WANTS TO CHALLENGE LAST YEARS WINNER; HE'S A TOUGH ONE TO BEAT!"

Crash gritted his teeth as he turned into the spin, and rode it out until he felt himself slam against the barricade. He let out a loud "oof!" and immediately pressed the gas again, catching his control and speeding into the crowd of drivers. When Crash got up to his original speed, he squinted to get a good look ahead. Blade the ponytail guy was directly ahead, cruising into second place. A flicker of a smile uplifted Crash's lips.

_So that's the way it's gonna be, huh? Well two can play at this game._


	10. Chapter 9: Race to the Finish Line

**Chapter Nine- Race to the Finish Line **

Coco didn't want to draw any attention to herself, even if people didn't think that a half-evolved bandicoot girl was strange, so she stepped behind the bleachers to find a good view. The race had started, and Crash was out of sight, so all Coco needed to do was get high enough to see one of the many monitors, and she'd see how her brother was doing. She heard the crowd gasp as Crash spun out of control, but this instance didn't worry Coco. He was pretty used to spinning already, but what she was concerned about was the gaps in the road. She had taken a look over the course, and as the track consisted mostly of one windy bridge that twisted and turned through the buildings, Coco felt nervous. Was her brother up to this? She felt her heart beat flutter as she continued to ascend the back way, looking for a good place to watch. Then her ears twitched as she picked up hushed voices.

"Well, which turn is it?"

"Turn four, right where the suspension is the weakest."

"Are you positive? I'd get in serious crap if the boss figured that I lost the race for him."

"No shit idiot. We've gotta wait until he clears it and then we blow it sky high. The others won't stand a chance."

Coco felt her pulse escalate as she abandoned her current mission and set out to find where the voices were coming from. Since she was blessed with sensitive animal ears, it was quite easy to distinguish quiet noises, but her stalking ability was not inherited from her predecessors, so she had to rely on her own instincts to find the saboteurs.

She slipped through the supporting iron poles of the bleachers, and quietly came up to a door slightly ajar. When she peeked inside, she saw two suspicious looking guys standing around a computer screen. She furrowed her brow. If they thought they were gonna blow this track sky high, they had another thing coming. Coco looked around for anything that could be of use to her, and smiled when she conceived the perfect plan. She rushed over to a stack of oil barrels, and was very relieved to discover that they were empty. She didn't need the contents, only needed the noise. She threw her shoulder into the stack, and almost immediately the barrels swayed and then tumbled to the ground. Coco jumped out of the way, pressing herself flat against the wall beside the door. Just as expected, she heard both the men rush to outside.

"What the hell was that?"

Coco had been afraid that only one guy was going to check out the commotion while the other stayed inside, but she shouldn't have worried. These losers were quite inept. Just as they ran out the door to catch their spy, Coco slipped through the crack in the door. When she was inside, she slammed the door and locked it. Then she shook her head in irritation.

"Idiots."

Quickly, Coco leapt into the seat in front of the monitor, and it took her a grand total of ten seconds to get a lay of the technology. Soon her hands were a blur over the keys and dials, figuring out what the jerks had done to fix the race. It was difficult for her to navigate through such a mess of readings, but she finally found what she was looking for. It was a mine, set to go off just as the racers cornered turn four. Coco took her bottom lip between her teeth as she typed furiously. She could disarm this thing, but since the drivers were already speeding around turn four, she had next to no time to do it. Sweat collected on the back of her neck, and the nervous thrumming in her ears muffled the pounding on the door behind her. She caught a glimpse of Crash weaving through the competition, looking quite confident on a machine that he had never ridden before today. He was catching up to Blade-of-Execution, but when the bomb exploded he would be right on the focal point. She needed to stop it NOW! All she could see were red lights everywhere, blinking faster and faster as the mine prepared to blow. Coco felt her entire body tense as she whacked away at the keyboard.

"Come on…come on…." She whispered under her breath.

She swallowed hard as she clicked the last button, and her last ditch effort to keeping the track intact. To her immediate relief, all the lights surrounding her blinked from red to green. She let out a long strangled breath and slumped into the chair, utterly exhausted.

_How many times do I have to save you, stupid brother?_

--

Crash sped through the competitors easily, his sights set on Blade and never deterring. He leaned into the wind, feeling the leathery fabric of his jacket flutter in the passing air. He accelerated, coming up right behind his adversary. What he didn't notice were the two racers beside him, wearing an identical emblem that suggested they were part of Blade's bike gang. Crash only realized who they were and what they intended when they started to pull up beside him. Crash felt a giggle escape his lips but it was lost over the noise.

_So, you gonna squeeze me out eh? We'll see about that. _

Crash timed it perfectly, waiting for the two racers to come close enough, and then he reacted. He hit the brakes, reveling in the fantastic squeal and cloud of dust his wheels created on the hard road. He stepped on the gas a moment later, and zipped by the two who had unfortunately collided with one another and knocked themselves out of the race. Crash felt quite proud of himself. It was when Crash started hearing a ticking sound that his smile disappeared. He felt shivers creep up his spine as he sensed something wasn't right up ahead. The ticking seemed so loud in his ears despite the roaring of the engines, and he flinched at each one. He gathered a burst of speed, flying directly over the mysterious noise. Just as he was at the pinnacle he heard a dead thrum, like someone dropping a heavy machine to the ground. Suddenly, the threat was over, and the ticking was gone. Crash let out a breath of relief, and noticed that Blade had turned in his straddle and seemed surprised that nothing had happened. He must have set up a booby trap or something.

"Not gonna work this time jerk-face!" Crash called out, voice drowned out in the wailing of the wheeled vehicles.

Crash kept up an easy pace, not really catching up to Blade but not falling behind. He just needed to find a way through, and then he'd be laughing. The announcer had bellowed that they had already passed the half-way point, and this information filled Crash with a mix of liberation and urgency. This whole escapade would be for nothing if he didn't win this thing. Crash zipped by one more driver, and now he was in forth place, just where he started before Blade's underhanded trick. He needed to gain ground, but how would he do that? Just then Blade figured he'd had enough of second place, and slammed his bike into the back of the leader. The driver's bike, out of control now, slid to its side and started skidding. It collided with the racer in third place, and the mess of bikes started reaching out hungrily for Crash. With a small "yipe!", Crash slid out of the destructive path, causing his front wheel to pull up onto the rock barricade. Crash continued speeding along at that angle, trying not to think about the hundreds of feet of air below him. The sooner he got off this bridge, the happier he'd be. When the way was clear, Crash used the momentum of his body to throw his bike back on track, now he was in second place.

"WOW! WHAT A COLLISION! WE HAVE FOUR DRIVERS CAUGHT UP IN THE MESS, AND THE wreckage is blocking the way for other drivers. Some are trying to make it around but it'll use up valuable time. For now, the only drivers left in this race are BLADE-OF-EXECUTION, FOLLOWED BY LAZY-COOT!"

Blade's head whipped around again in what looked to be rapid shock. Crash offered a quick salute.

_Yeah bastard, I'm still here._

Blade again focused on the road ahead, and Crash leaned into his acceleration. He was going to catch this guy, he knew it. As if Crash's positive attitude was a power boost, he felt his bike gather speed. He was catching up to the leader, and quickly. He wasn't sure at this point what would happen if he pulled up beside him, but he didn't think about that now. Suddenly, another warning scratched at Crash's senses, and he was instantly alert. What was it? There was no ticking this time, but he could feel something powering up just beneath the road. Crash gulped, and realized what it was an instant before it happened. At the will of a manual command, the road beneath Crash exploded, and he and his bike flew through the air. Crash could feel the explosion burn his arms and scorch the jeans covering his legs. He felt his hands leave the handles of his motorcycle as he started propelling in the opposite direction. Instantly, Crash gritted his teeth and twirled through the air, latching his grip back onto the bike and pulling himself into his seat. He leaned into the blast, and as he descended he guided his front wheel into a steady position.

He soured through the ash and the smoke, ignoring the frantic shouts that came at him from every direction. He felt an odd sort of exhilarated smile come to him, and as he saw himself cruise over Blade's head, that smile intensified. The impact was jarring, but as Crash gained control he easily pulled in front of Blade, leaving the jerk behind. He added speed to his final run, seeing the finish line ahead. The announcer was screeching in excitement, but Crash couldn't distinguish what he was saying. He could also hear the roar of the crowd, and hoped that he'd be able to catch a glimpse of his sister when he neared the audience. He wore the grin until he saw the checkered flag, and flashed over the finish line.

--

Coco had shifted emotions from worry to dread to relief to joyous excitement so fast, she found herself needing to lean on something before she could run down the steps. A booming voice filled the air, accented with loud music and confetti that rained down from the sky. Coco had been filled with instant fear when that explosion shook the track, and was terrified that the blast had sent Crash right over the edge of the bridge. It could have easily happened. Coco also knew who was responsible for her panic. Before she struggled through the crowd to get to her brother, she started in a mad march toward the second prizewinner. He had his helmet off, scowling and snarling about the race being fixed and what not. Coco came up behind him, and tapped him on the shoulder. As he turned around, Coco offered a tight smile as she gave him an uppercut to the jaw. It was pretty easy to get a good shot, considering she stood a good two feet shorter than him. She didn't offer any explanation, but turned on her heel as the moron staggered back in surprise. Now she pushed her way through the crowd to get to the podium, where Crash stood quite casually. His helmet was still on to cover most of his face, but he retracted the visor so that he could see the throng plainly with his own eyes.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! WHAT A RACE! OUR NEW WINNER FOR THE JORDON CITY RACE IS LAZY-COOT!"

Crash flinched at the name, and Coco could feel him scanning the crowd for one person in particular. When he caught her gaze, his smile was still there but the look he gave her held mock irritation. Coco shrugged and smiled, and added her contribution to the consistently loud applause.

"LAZY-COOT receives first prize! The platinum Talisman! Congratulations!"

Coco watched eagerly as the platinum relic was brought on a satin pillow, and Crash reached out to grasp his prize. When he had it in his grasp, he waved it above his head to get the crowd in another flurry of approval. Soon, the crowd quieted down enough for Crash to speak.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen, for the opportunity to dart about a demolished city on a motorcycle, it was thoroughly enjoyable. Unfortunately, I don't really have time to gush about my win or chitchat with other competitors who showed so much enthusiastic support." Crash's voice was dripping with sarcasm, and Coco shook her head. She knew where this was going. "Time is of the essence I'm afraid, so thanks and so long."

At this time Crash tore off his helmet and tossed to the side, grinning sneakily when the crowd gasped in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm a bandicoot. No big deal."

Crash then leapt off the podium onto the seat of his motorcycle and was driving toward Coco a second later. Coco, although she vowed never to do so again, accepted Crash's hand as he swung her onto the vehicle, and the two of them sped down the road, much to the stunned audience's astonishment.

Crash and Coco pulled up to the spot Coco was concealing Pura. The tiger wandered out groggily, as if he'd been fast asleep and was rather perturbed at the awakening. Coco leapt off the motorcycle and scratched Pura's ears. Crash swung his leg over the bike, leaning against it as he studied the platinum relic.

"Well that was stimulating."

Coco shot him an exasperated expression. "I'm just glad it's over, my heart was pounding the entire time."

Crash wasn't able to conceal a sly smile. "Aww, thanks Sis. That's sweet of you to worry."

Coco hesitated, and then glowered at her brother. "Don't be an idiot. I was just worried we wouldn't get the relic is all. Sheesh."

There was a brief silence as the two bandicoot children readied themselves for the trip back, now that they had gathered all the relics. Finally, Crash couldn't resist.

"So you hit him, huh?"

Coco stiffened. "Well, um, uh…"

Crash laughed and clasped Coco on the back. "That was some good punch."

Coco wasn't prepared for the whack on her back, and coughed a little after the contact. When she rose up with the sapphire relic in hand she elbowed her brother in the side.

"Don't mention it."

Coco dropped her hand around Pura's neck and with her other hand she grasped Crash's arm. It was time to go. Crash looked at his abandoned bike dejectedly.

"You know, I could probably auction it off and get a good payoff."

"Considering you just swiped it anyway, I don't think that would be very honest."

"Just a thought…"

Coco inhaled deeply and then spoke out the words that would take them out of here. The world warped around the two bandicoots and tiger, and soon enough they were gone.


	11. Chapter 10: A Fight Through Time

**Chapter Ten- A Fight through Time**

Something happened during this dimensional leap that hadn't occurred in any of the others. Crash felt his stomach lurch, and an instant headache crashed down on him. He felt as though he had been thrust into a great hurricane, being tossed around like a rag-doll and there was nothing he could do about it. He heard a far off scream, and Coco's image appeared in his mind. He reached out, but his hands couldn't grasp anything. He spun through the air so fast and in so many staggeringly different directions that he could he was afraid his head would fly off his shoulders. He closed his eyes tight and willed the crazy whirling to stop.

Which is did, eventually. Crash hit a surface hard, but he suspected it wasn't the ground. His observation proved right as he slid down the surface to connect with another. Yep, this was the ground. Crash lay motionless for a few moments, not even daring to open his eyes. Soon he could hear distorted noises and unintelligible jargon, and eventually he was sane enough to pile words together.

"These cannot possibly be the creatures that disturbed our plans. They're no more than faulty lab experiments."

Crash forced one eye open, and could sort of make out a bipedal creature standing not six feet from where he lay.

"Intriguing that they are able to cause such mischief, however, that time has come to an end."

Crash moaned and struggled to his knees, still feeling quite nauseous.

"Look pal, I'm not in a very good mood right now so could you just shut it?" By the venomous tone in Crash's voice, it wasn't a question.

The man was silent for a moment, and his voice betrayed just a hint of shock.

"Intelligent enough to talk, hmm? Cortex didn't mention that."

Crash was on his feet in an instant, ignoring the shaking of his legs and the horrible lightheadedness that washed over him. Whenever Cortex was around, there was trouble. Crash had learned that the hard way.

"So, where is good old Cortex?" Crash asked with a tight grin. "I've got something I've been hoping to tell him."

The man was becoming clearer in Crash's vision, and all Crash could deduct was that he looked pretty weird. His skin was a sickly ashen colour, almost blue. He had two thick black hairs growing out of his chin that didn't quite pass for a goatee, but what made Crash stare was what this dude was wearing. An oddly proportioned ticking clock substituted his chest, and one of his arms was bulked with the same kind of machinery. In one hand he held a long shaft of metal that looked almost like a big fork. Crash grinned.

"Or should I apologize, since I seem to have interrupted dinner. You must be having one hell of a roast with cutlery that size."

This guy was not nearly as fun to bug as some of the other enemies Crash went up against, but that didn't bother him. Though he was in the mood to strike a nerve today.

"My name is Dr. Nefarious Tropy. I have been charged by the great Uka Uka to dispose of the creatures who keep interfering with his plans of world domination."

Crash sighed. "What is with all this world domination stuff? Why can't we all just be friends?"

Tropy looked at him with one raised eyebrow, as if he didn't understand what he was hearing. Crash got that a lot. Finally, Crash remembered Coco. With a quick scan, he plainly saw that she was nowhere in sight.

"Where's my sister dirt bag?"

"She may be fine, or she may be not. She has landed in another time, as has that tiger of yours. Yet there is no reason to fret about that, what you really need to be concerned about at this moment…is me."

Tropy aimed his iron fork at Crash, and as a gathered energy blasted from the tips, Crash flipped out of the way. Just as the soles of his shoes touched the ground, another attack headed for him. Crash dodged, sliding across the ground with a quick loss of balance. When the next shot came, Crash had no choice but to duck, and this left him vulnerable. Somehow Tropy appeared directly in front of him, and in a fluid motion he smashed Crash across the face with his pole. Crash fell flat on his back.

"Ow. Now that hurt."

Crash rolled as the fork speared from above, aimed to be driven right through his chest. Crash was in no mood to be a pincushion, not today at least. Crash did his best to ignore the aching of his head as he got to his feet and backed away to gain more ground. Again, that Tropy guy disappeared and reappeared right in front of Crash. Crash shielded himself with his arm and grunted as the metal thwacked down on the exposed limb. Using the force of the blow to spin out of the way again, Crash held his arm delicately.

"What the hell?" Crash was angry now, his frustration level rising and making him edgy.

Tropy laughed. "Haven't you been informed Bandicoot? I have the ability to manipulate time, among other talents. You have no chance against me."

Crash opened his mouth to offer an argument to that observation, when the air around him began to whirl and the scene before him changed. Now instead of fighting within darkness, Crash appeared in a strange place, the colours of twilight just brightening the sky above. The buildings suggested that this place was somewhere in Arabia, and from the warm air and flittering of sand Crash was pretty sure there was a desert surrounding him. He paused to scratch his head.

"This is…really…."

"Strange?"

Crash let out a shout of surprise and sidestepped to avoid being clubbed again. The bastard was behind him! How'd he manage that? Tropy looked very amused. Crash stepped back slowly until his toes were balancing on the edge of a building.

"Yeah, I think this would classify as strange." Crash really was freaked out.

"I can warp into any time zone of my choosing. Which makes for an interesting battleground."

Crash shrugged. "I don't think it's so hot really…"

Tropy lunged again, and Crash flipped off the side of the building and landed gracefully on a market tarp. What wasn't so graceful was his awkward spin through the air, unable to find a place to land. He needn't have worried, since right when he was about to strike the ground the scene changed again. Crash collided with a mossy bush and bounced off, landing on his back again. Crash moaned.

"This just isn't my day."

--

Coco rubbed her head and moaned as her awareness returned. She was really starting to hate this stupid adventure she'd been so eager to have. It was far too complicated for her. Her first act was reaching into her pockets and making sure the relics were safe. Her next task now was to find Crash and Pura, whom she seemed to have separated from. She stood up and stretched a monstrous kink in her back, and then started forward at a stumbling pace.

"Crash! Where are you?"

Nothing answered but ominous silence, and Coco felt instantly uncomfortable. Where was she? The ground was wet, covered with a thin layer of water, and she suspected that might pose a problem. She walked a little farther, and to her relief she saw torchlight ahead. When the light began to reflect off the walls and statues surrounding her, Coco was caught in a momentary sense of awe. The carved hieroglyphic columns and golden statues of ancient pharaohs proved she was in ancient Egypt. She was too excited to be worried, which was the first mistake. As she stepped forward to examine the pillars, she felt a slight scratching at her leg. She slowly glanced down, and her green eyes widened in instant shock. An insect as big as her palm was attempting to climb up her limb, hooking its claws on her pant leg. With a small screech, Coco kicked the insect away from her and took some quick steps back. Silence prevailed again, but soon Coco began to hear a scraping noise get louder and louder. Coco stepped back with a terrified look on her face as dozens of frighteningly massive bugs scurried toward her.

Promising she would never relay to Crash what occurred, Coco turned on her heel and started to run, her scared screams disturbing the stillness.

--

Aku Aku could feel Crash and Coco out there somewhere, still whirling through the cloudy mists of time. Aku hoped they would find a way to use the relics as transportation devices, since his first method was a failure. He had been certain he would be able to sense the bandicoot children through the time warp, but he was wrong. Now that they were in possession of all three relics, Aku could finally pinpoint them, and knew that they were on their way home. He had never been more relived.

As he directed their landing, he felt a very strange disturbance. Something was wrong. Aku winced as he felt the time warp tear, and the entire dimensional change deteriorated. A blast of energy lit up the temple, and Aku flew back to avoid it. A figure materialized before him, and at first he felt a wave of hope wash over him, but it was short lived. The creature before him was a young Bengal Tiger, dazed from the teleportation but still releasing signs of fury. He was aware of the disturbance.

"What has happened?" Aku demanded.

The tiger remained wary, but could obviously sense by his aura that Aku was a friend. Aku translated the animal's mode of communication, and felt a jolt of shock shake him.

"No…"

--

Crash was tired of running around. He needed to find a way to beat this guy. Crash was stuck in medieval times, and unfortunately he had dropped into the middle of a castle siege. Tropy was nowhere in sight, and Crash had to be quick just to dodge flaming arrows that strayed his way, as well as keep out of the way of catapults. One thing was certain, if Crash didn't get out of this freaky time warp he was gonna go nuts.

"Come out Bandicoot!"

Crash stepped back into the covering of a castle stable, hiding in the shadows. The sky was darkening, but still bright enough to easily give away his position. Crash tilted his head, and saw Tropy standing quite confidently on the tip of a tower.

"Your demise is inevitable Bandicoot, come out and face it."

Crash took a quick look around, and then felt a bright idea materialize in his mind. His smile was slight, but full of mischief.

"Alright."

Crash had already figured how Tropy's time traveling business worked. It was that mechanism on his arm. When he did his disappearing act, or when he changed a dimension, that thing glittered brightly. Crash decided that was his best shot. Quickly and quietly, Crash lifted a dull sword discarded on the ground, and shifted toward the machine that would be his salvation. A catapult, all wound and ready for snapping. Crash sprinted across open ground with a demonic expression guiding his action. With a long leap and quick cleave, Crash had sliced through the rope and was now shooting through the air, right where he needed to go. Tropy's eyes were wild with shock, and he made no move to react.

"Eat steel bastard!" Crash laughed manically.

Crash slashed the sword downward, and felt a rewarding collision and a nice sparking of broken machinery. Tropy seemed more confused then enraged.

"What?"

As the world started to dematerialize, Crash kept one hand firmly clasped around Tropy's arm. He wasn't gonna be left behind, especially when wamba fruits probably hadn't even been discovered yet.

--

Coco sprinted through the endless labyrinth of tunnels and passageways, feeling her breath come out in gasps as she forced herself to keep moving. More and more huge insects were joining the fray, and although she was terrified to look behind her the consistent scratching of millions of legs assured her they were still there. Her fear was driving her speed, but she was getting tired. She squeezed her fists.

"Crap! I hate bugs!"

She continued to run, twisting and turning with no idea where she was going. Suddenly, as she rounded a corner she skidded to a stop.

"Oh no!"

The way was blocked. Coco smashed her closed fists on the rock wall, willing the wall to fall away and give her room to escape. It didn't budge, naturally. Coco twisted, and felt her entire body shake as the bugs came around the corner. She clutched her jaw in a last effort at regaining her pride before she was devoured.

"Bring it! You're gonna get the stomping of your life."

Before the bugs were close enough for Coco to fulfill her threat, she saw a light appear in the darkness, and it wrapped around her. An instant later, she disappeared.


	12. Chapter 11: The Battle Between Brothers

**Chapter Eleven- The Battle between Brothers**

The world around him became clearer again, but it was only when Crash could make out the ground that he leapt off Tropy. The latter was still in a sense of wide-eyed shock, staring down at his sparking appendage as though he couldn't understand why the machine had ceased to work. Crash could have cleared it up for him, but he suspected the idiot already knew.

"How…?" Now anger rose into Tropy's expression, and his face pinched.

"Simple really." Crash yawned with a casual flip of his hand. "You see, all this time traveling business gives me a headache, and although it was not my first way of going about it, I had no choice but to bust your little scrape of hardware. Sorry mate, I hope we can still be friends."

Tropy held his wounded arm carefully, and he stepped forward with murder in his eyes. Suddenly, a booming voice rocked the ground they stood on.

"You have failed me Tropy. Stand down now."

Tropy's mouth fell open in his second lapse of confusion. "But, I'll-"

"You will do nothing."

With a look of enraged emotion bottled within his beady red eyes, Tropy stepped back into the darkness, and Crash was alone. Since Crash had a fraction of time on his hands, he began to glance around his surroundings, and noticed that he was standing on rock, and as he squinted through the dimness it seemed that the walls were constructed with the same material. Crash was getting pretty annoyed about being ignored, and he opened his mouth to say so.

"Hello again, Crash Bandicoot."

Crash snapped his jaw shut, and watched in rising irritation as the area became illuminated. He now could see that he was in a weird laboratory, and he hated laboratories. Yet the freaky, sterile labs were not nearly as creepy as the short figure that stood amid it. Doctor Neo Cortex, in the flesh, was standing on a raised platform with an odd weapon in his hand. That weapon was pointed directly at Crash. Not in the practice of letting on his nervousness, Crash smiled and offered a friendly wave.

"Hey Doc. Long time no see."

"Cut the chatter Bandicoot. Your false confidence is not amusing."

Crash shrugged. "Maybe not, but it's the best I could do under the circumstances."

Crash felt a slight change in the air, and turned around to see a figure materialize. She still held the three relics in her arms, and she looked quite shaken. Before Crash could say anything, Coco got to her feet and started marching forward. She looked like she wanted to speak, but she was too dazed to construct any words.

"Ah, so this is your sister then? The other foolish marsupial that deterred our plans."

Coco shook off her time lag quickly. "Oh, you're Cortex huh? Can't say you're really what I expected, but I was right in my prediction that you'd be an ugly cuss. I've got something I need to say to you-"

"-Your hairstyle is unique and your oddly proportioned head adds to your charm." Crash interjected with mock compassion.

Coco glared at her brother, anger that was meant for Cortex now turned on him. Crash grinned hesitantly.

"No need to tick anyone off when we're not in a great situation. Jeers come after we win. Just helping you out Sis, since this is your first time."

Coco continued to glare, but kept her mouth shut. Crash realized they were being rude to the mad scientist, and slowly turned back around.

"I have been waiting for years to finally end your existence, Crash Bandicoot."

Crash snorted. "That's not a legitimate statement Doctor, considering I was only created about a year and a half ago. 'Years' implies at least two."

Cortex was not in the mood for this, it appeared. "Farewell, Crash Bandicoot."

Crash sighed, and prepared to dart out of the way as usual, keeping track of his sister as well. Unexpectedly, the gun flew from Cortex's grasp and smashed against one of the titanium walls. Cortex looked just as surprised as the bandicoot siblings. The lights began to flicker, and Cortex looked very nervous.

"I have grown increasingly tired of your failures Cortex. Your ineptitude does not deserve to be redeemed, and so I will take care of this meddlesome creature myself."

Crash furrowed his brow and felt Coco's tightening grip on his arm. Somehow every ounce of warmth was sucked from the air, and Crash withheld a heavy shiver. Coco moved closer to him.

"Crash…what…?"

Coco trailed off as an entity became visible in the flickering darkness. Its bright golden eyes looked familiar, but at the same time completely foreign. Crash gulped as a blast of unease raked his insides. It was a floating mask, hideous and twisted with dirty bones strapped to the top and sides of its plank-like body. It wore a gnarled sneer, and a distant frightening rumbling shook the two bandicoots, and Crash realized a moment later that it was laugher.

"Of course, I am far too aggravated to kill this abomination so quickly. Perhaps I finally have found an outlet in which to vent my anger."

Crash didn't like the sound of that. He knew that this had to be Uka Uka, the evil mask that Aku warned them about. The seriousness of the situation was making the air dense, and it wasn't putting Crash in a good mood. His green gaze remained fixed on the possessed mask as he slowly pushed Coco away.

"Move it Sis." He spoke under his breath.

Coco's voice was frightened, with forced bravery. "No Crash I-"

"Move."

"But I-"

A flurry of whirling light spiraled toward them, and Crash clenched his jaw as he shoved his sister.

"MOVE IT!"

The blast hit Crash head-on, and subconsciously he could hear a high-pitched scream, but out of surprise and not pain thankfully. He sailed through the air and landed hard on his shoulder, unable to gather his senses in time before another attack materialized. The fire raked his body and sent horrible waves of excruciation through his nerves, but he didn't make a sound, biting back his groans.

"I don't understand what the challenge is." Uka began as he let loose more electric currents. "It does not seem capable of the endeavors you have suggested Cortex, you are an embarrassment."

Crash was having difficulty registering what the mask was saying, hearing only the pulsing of his own strangled heart-beat. He had to get out of this line of fire he was in. He felt another bolt shake through his insides, and he clenched his jaw. Uka said something else, but all Crash could make out was a rumbling noise that sounded incoherent. Subconsciously, Crash felt himself lifting off the ground, and again he was flying through the air. When he hit the sharp edges of the rock wall, his gasp of pain as the jagged rocks gouged into his skin was replaced with a shuttering inhale as his air was knocked from his lungs. He was suspended there for a moment, unable to move or breathe and very aware of the blood that was trickling from his back.

"STOP IT!"

Crash could guess the voice belonged to Coco, but his vision was so hazy that he couldn't look to see. He slowly began to slide down the wall, and winced as the rock scratched against his already torn skin. When he felt the ground at his feet, he slumped forward and collapsed to his knees.

"Yet it is fortunate that the relics are finally in our grasp. Really, the amount of work for us was dwindled by their involvement, so perhaps I should consider that."

Crash felt the air around him started whirling, and soon the suction grew strong enough to pull him along the ground. He shook his head to clear his vision, but it didn't do any good. The dust and rock around him gathered into the air, and Crash vainly tried to grasp onto anything he could as he slid. The air only stopped whirling when Crash had propelled over the side of a cliff, and he scrambled to grasp the rock before he fell into the open chasm. The tips of his fingers were bleeding from the gritty scrape over rock and the intensity of the friction, and his arms were still pretty numb from Uka's previous attacks. Hanging on was a challenge, one that Crash didn't think he was up to. Suddenly, Coco appeared before him, her eyes wild and wet with tears. She grasped both his arms with her tiny hands and held on with all her might. Her tears were falling from the tip of her nose and splashing Crash in the face.

"Hey…quit it." Crash uttered weakly, shaking off the tears.

Coco took her bottom lip between her teeth as she tried to stop crying. "Don't you dare let go."

Crash managed half a smile. "S'okay, letting go isn't the plan."

Uka looked thoroughly disgusted from his position above them.

"Well well, I never thought it was possible that animals could care about one another so strongly. Yet I'm afraid it is in vain. I banish both of you abominations to the infinity of death. Farewell."

Crash closed his eyes and squeezed his sister's hand, preparing for what was to come. As the flaming sphere of churning fire blasted toward them, Crash felt a wave of cool crystal light, and opened one eye. The sphere exploded, sending flickers of flame in every direction, but Crash felt nothing. When the flash dimmed away, Crash could see the shape of a familiar figure shielding them. Uka smiled wickedly.

"Ah, it's you."

"You have no right to be here Uka Uka." Aku Aku's voice was filled with anger.

"You mean I have no right to freedom?"

"If your goal is to enslave the lives of others, your freedom is a plague to this earth."

Crash was impressed by the steady control of Aku's voice, and the way he balanced his anger without fully diminishing it. Yet Crash was afraid as well. He'd never seen Aku this angry, and he hadn't the slightest idea what he had the capacity to do. It was at this time that Coco braced herself and yanked on Crash's arm. Crash growled, feeling a dazzling pain dance up and down his affected limb. He suspected he sprained it when he crashed into the wall. Coco's eyes betrayed her worry, but her voice was even.

"Climb up. Help me."

Crash clenched his teeth and forced himself to pull himself up, ignoring the pain for the time being. Coco pulled him up with impressive strength. After he was out of the direct jaws of the open chasm, he felt absolutely exhausted, and let his forehead fall to his knee. All the while, Aku and Uka were speaking to one another with perfectly balanced rage between them. Finally Uka laughed.

"I suppose it was something I should have expected. You are a traitor, and would sacrifice anyone for your own moralistic glories. You know I am correct, don't you…brother?"

Crash didn't pick up on the reference right away, but it was when Coco gasped that he really got it. His eyes widened. _Brother?_

The lights started to flicker again, but this time it was Aku's magic that was disturbing the electric currents. His voice was dangerous.

"Any relational tie that once bound me to you has been severed Uka Uka. You will not harm my charges again and you will cease this ridiculous campaign. Do you understand?"

Uka's laugh thundered throughout the laboratory, and Crash felt himself wince. That laugh sure was creepy. All of a sudden a frightening red glow pulsed off the evil mask, and Crash gaped as his face became absolutely demonic.

"The thought of battling you made my eons of imprisonment bearable, and your destruction was the nourishment to fuel my desire to escape. You will die, brother, as you were meant too all those years ago."

Lights danced around the forms of the two masks, each reverberating signs of inexplicable rivalry and unfathomable fury. Golden eyes bore into one another as the ground shook, causing Crash to grasp Coco before she tumbled into the pit behind them. The loud pulsing of some strange but frightening noise shook Crash's insides, and he slammed his hands over his ears to drown it out. From beside him, Coco did the same. The masks began to battle, each demonstrating the measure of their power. Uka unleashed flurries of fiery arrows toward Aku, and the latter returned only with a defensive blow, snuffing out the flames. As Crash and Coco watched transfixed, stray shots and ricochets blasted the rock walls around them, sending hailstones of sedimentary shards over the siblings. Crash protected his head, and glanced at Coco.

"Sorta gives a whole new meaning for sibling rivalry, eh?" His voice just barely carried over the loud whirring of rushing wind.

Coco still had her hands over her ears. "This is serious Crash, stop making jokes!"

Crash grinned lopsidedly, and winced as the action tugged at the cut on his lip. "It's just how I get through the day honey."

Uka doubled his attack, showering Aku with fireballs and torpedoes of solid ice. Aku deflected each attack, with no indication of returning fire. Crash felt confused at this spectacle.

"Why isn't he fighting back?" Coco's tone suggested she was just as confused.

Crash didn't answer, but he pondered the question. Why wasn't he fighting back? Was it because Uka was his brother? The whole thing seemed pretty odd to Crash but he refrained from pointing it out. What was certain, ever so slowly, Aku was loosing. Aku was showing signs of exhaustion as he placed a shield over himself and the bandicoots behind him, absorbing the blow. After a moment, Aku was finally able to break Uka's attack and regroup.

"I don't want to fight you Uka Uka." Aku's voice was haggard.

"But I want to fight you." Uka's voice held the same amount of strength and confidence since the beginning. "I don't understand why you want to fight for these lamentations to the animal populace. They are not meant to live, they must be destroyed."

"You speak in a tongue of utter ignorance brother, and it will be your undoing. Do not judge those whose resilience you are blind to. Every creature has a right to live."

"Do NOT lecture me!" Uka's anger was thrown behind his attacks, and Crash felt a jolt of panic as he watched the strength fade from his old friend's eyes.

At first, Crash had thought it improper to interfere with a family battle, but he didn't feel right just sitting there. Crash reached a hand out and grasped the three relics. He gazed at them for a moment and considered.

_These pieces of junk must be useful for something other than switching dimensions._

Crash thought about it a moment longer, and a light blinked in his mind. As he struggled to his feet he felt a small but strong hand bar him from rising. Coco was glaring at him, again.

"What are you doing?"

Crash couldn't hear her, but he could read her lips well enough.

"At this rate we'll have to walk home."

Shrugging out of her grip, Crash stood up fully and started stumbling forward, the relics of sapphire, gold and platinum held tightly in his hands. He strode through the whirling winds and falling flames and snow. He continued on even as Uka abandoned his current attack and fixed his eyes on him. After a moment of staring in bewilderment, Uka thundered a laugh.

"Ah, the creature has come to make a last stand. Have you any idea what you hold in your hands, boy? Are you going to use them to defeat me?"

Uka's tone was one of utter amusement, and Crash reveled in it, offering a polite but very sly grin.

"You could say that."

The very next instant, Crash threw the three relics to the ground, and they shattered on impact. Uka's face blanked from utter shock as he dropped his jaw.

"What…have you DONE?" Uka bellowed, enraged.

The shards of the relics glowed with their respective colours of blue, white and gold. They flickered for a moment, and then began to whirl together in a gathering speed. Crash stepped back, a beaming look of utter confidence on his face. He winked.

"Oops."


	13. Chapter 12: Warped

**Chapter Twelve- Warped**

Coco couldn't believe her eyes. She had been visibly distraught when Crash had demolished the relics that were so much trouble to collect. It was only when the glowing and sparking of the shards billowed into the air that she realized Crash's plan. The shimmering coils of multicolored energy twirled through the air, and a wind was conjured by the shards, creating a horrible suction. Uka's face was a mix of anger and confusion, neither emotion outweighing the other. Aku had yet to react to the action, his face oddly transfixed. Crash began to step backward as the shards swirled together so fast they were creating some kind of vortex. Coco gasped. The fragments of the time relics were joining as one to create a warp hole. Coco stepped forward to yell for Crash, but the whirring of air and the thrumming of pulsing energy drowned out her voice.

The rift in time was taking effect, and it was reaching hungrily for Uka Uka. The evil mask fought against the tendrils of energy, but it was no use. He shouted in rage as he was emerged within the hole of dimensions, disappearing from sight. Coco felt relief flood into her chest, and she released a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Coco saw Cortex. His face was deformed in demonic anger, and as he produced a handheld weapon from his coat, Coco took action. It was hard to run as the air sucked and twirled around her, but she fought through it. Cortex lifted his weapon, aiming toward where a triumphant Crash stood with his hands in his pockets, relaxed and unaware.

"No!"

Coco slammed her hand against the gun, and Cortex's face was a mask of shock as the weapon clattered to the floor. He didn't even have time to regroup from Coco's attack, since a second later Coco slammed her foot into the scientist's chest. With a strangled gnarl of a yelp, Cortex spiraled through the air and he to was caught in the whirling rip through time.

"You will regret…this!"

Those where the last words Crash or Coco heard from the deranged doctor. Crash rushed toward Coco's side and she wrapped her arms around his waist as the air continued to swirl. Aku appeared in front of them, finally recovering from his momentary lapse, and fixed his eyes on the bandicoot siblings.

"Don't let each other go." Aku instructed.

Crash cocked his head with a small smile, and struggled to speak through Coco's death grip. "No fear of that."

Coco kept her ironclad grip on her brother as a warm golden light folded around them. It felt like the warmth of the sun after days of rain. Coco closed her eyes, and let herself fall into the warmth.

--

Crash was asleep, and it was remarkable. He felt warm and comfortable, and he could hear the distant sounds of squawking seagulls. As Crash lay there in ecstasy, a small smile fluttered to his lips. He enjoyed nothing more than basking in the sun. Suddenly, a distorted voice rang into his ears.

"Crash?"

Crash ignored the voice. He was sleepy, and he deserved his rest. Yet the voice was determined to keep bugging him.

"Crash!"

"Scram, I'm asleep."

The voice faded into silence for a moment, but when it spoke again Crash could detect a hint of distain.

"Suit yourself. Have a nice dip."

Crash settled back down, getting more comfortable, when the meaning of the words hit him. Dip? Inconveniently, a massive wave reached out its wet claws and washed over Crash. Crash was none too happy as he flailed though the wave awkwardly. The ocean water tossed him back onto the beach and retreated, leaving Crash lying flat on his back and looking up into the satisfied face of his little sister.

"One day Crash, you'll get it."

Crash sat up and shook the water out of his ears, now fully awake and slightly irritated. He glanced up at his sister and smiled.

"Actually, I needed that. Gotta wash the stink off me, you know?"

Coco sat on a fallen log and began to swing her legs as she looked out toward the ocean. The expression on her face was almost tranquil, except for a slight furrow of her brow. Finally she turned to look at him.

"Are you okay? You know…"

Crash waved his hand dismissively. "Tut tut, there's no need to worry dear sister. Though I've got to admit that my pride's a little bruised at having the crap kicked out of me by a plank of wood. Other than that I'm A-okay."

Coco was smiling, and Crash was glad to see it. Then she hopped off the log with a new bouncing energy.

"Aku told me to bring you to the house when you woke up. He wants to talk to us, probably just to make sure we're okay and everything. Not sure."

Crash nodded, yawned and got to his feet. Just as he did, a rumbling sound shook the beach around them. Coco offered a skeptical look, and Crash grinned hesitantly. When he was hungry, others tended to know it.

"Hee hee."

Coco sighed and handed him a wamba fruit she'd been concealing. Crash's eyes widened and he accepted the fruit gratefully. Coco looked exasperated.

"Your stupid stomach's been growling like that for hours. You're scaring all the animals."

Crash was too busy devouring the wamba fruit that he hadn't time to answer. Coco grasped him by the arm and the two of them walked back to the hut.


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue **

Coco wandered through the jungle, head down and hands shoved deep in her pockets. Aku had made his predictable medical check of both her and her brother, and had finally released them from his concerned watch. Crash had found his yo-yo, and when Coco had last seen him he'd been sitting on a tree branch, stuffing his face and playing with his stupid toy. At least someone was happy after all that had happened. Coco sighed heavily. She had been certain that Pura had been with them when they faded from Jordan City, but during the battle and now afterward, the tiger was nowhere to be found. Coco felt completely responsible, and wanted nothing more than to see Pura's sweet copper eyes.

Coco approached a patch of pretty flowers, and sat among them in a mope. She fiddled with the tips of her air as she gazed into the sky. All of a sudden, she could hear the soft pattering of something coming up behind her. Half Coco's body turned, and her eyes widened. Pura walked pleasantly from out of the jungle foliage, a warm expression on his furry face. Coco leapt to her feet with a beaming smile.

"Pura! You made it!"

Pura started to run toward her, and Coco mimicked the motion, closing the distance between them. Pura pounced on Coco, and the two of them tumbled happily in the field of flowers. Coco smiled so wide her cheeks hurt, and she threw her arms around Pura's neck. The warm jungle breeze blew tranquilly through the trees and rustled through the exquisite plants and exotic flowers. The island, once again, was in a state of peace.


End file.
